Skirmish
by IMTheresa
Summary: Before John Winchester knew what had changed his life forever, another volley was launched. How will it affect his sons?
1. Chapter 1

**Skirmish**

Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own them, I don't make money from them, but I do enjoy torturing them.

**A/N:** I hope you enjoy my latest foray into the world of Winchester. I also hope you don't mind that I brought Aidan along with me. He's introduced in the story _First Solo Flight_, but you don't need to read that one to enjoy this one. Please let me know your thoughts as we move along; I love reading what you have to say.

oooOOOooo

Physical ills are the taxes laid upon this wretched life; some are taxed higher, and some lower, but all pay something - Lord Chesterfield

oooOOOooo

Hospitals were too clean, too white, and too stark. They definitely weren't places for children; especially _his_ children. John Winchester had been sitting next to his son's bed since he was admitted as a patient almost three hours ago. It was just something simple; a job where all the leg work and research had been done. But something happened before they even started the gig.

A friend called the day before asking John to purify a large Victorian house that was less than a two hour drive away. Even though the friend's sister knew the house was haunted, she bought it sight unseen and planned to turn it into a bed and breakfast. She owned several others throughout the country and the rumor, or truth, of a ghost only added to their charm. When the renovation started and she realized the spirit was less than benevolent, she asked her brother for help.

John planned to take his older with him to handle the job; getting back into town in time to pick the younger son up from school. But they weren't even an hour from their driveway when Dean suddenly became very nauseous. John pulled over to the side of the road and the contents of his son's stomach were violently and painfully expelled, leaving him weak and shaking.

With no intention of continuing to the haunted house, John sat with Dean for several minutes before either one of them felt comfortable enough to get back into the car. As he drove toward the small house they were living in, John had to stop twice more and each time Dean was in greater pain. By the time they were back within city limits, Dean was nearly unconscious and John drove directly to the hospital. He was well skilled in first aid as well as simple medical procedures and hospitals were generally a last resort, but John didn't want to take chances with his son's sudden illness.

Tests were run in the emergency room, and after a couple of hours Dean was admitted. He'd been sound asleep for the last two hours, his condition still not diagnosed.

Aidan Prichard stood just inside Dean's room, watching John. He might be a tough demon-hunter to most people, but Aidan knew another side to him. Having moved into the orphanage run by the church where John's friend and mentor officiated at the age of twelve, Aidan was privy to things others weren't. In addition to his experience with the supernatural, Aidan had seen John in the private moments with his sons. While hunting with the eldest Winchester, Aidan had seen him brutally destroy all manner of entity, but he'd also seen him be a loving and comforting father. There weren't many people who were allowed to see that side of the man. The moments of tenderness didn't come as often or overtly as the boys grew up, but they still happened.

"Any change?" Aidan whispered.

John's only response was a slight shake of his head.

"It's about time for Sam to get out of school."

He sighed and rubbed his face. "Jesus, is it that late already?"

"I'll pick him up."

"I have to tell him about his brother."

"Why don't I pick him up and get him something to eat? I'll tell him and then bring him here."

"I can't ask you to do that."

"You're not asking. I'll take care of it."

John nodded. "Thank you."

Before leaving the room, Aidan moved to the bed and laid a gentle hand on Dean's arm. He stirred, but didn't wake.

oooOOOooo

Sam Winchester wasn't a normal fifteen year old, but he tried hard to fit in at school. It wasn't just his home life and his demon-hunting family that made him different; he was an extremely bright young man. He was smarter than most of his classmates and could even give a couple of the teachers a run for their money.

He was sitting alone on the school steps when he saw Aidan's truck pull up to the curb. Taking his backpack, and with a sick feeling in his stomach, Sam walked toward the truck.

"I didn't know you were in town," he said cautiously through the open window.

"I finished a job not too far away and thought I'd hang out here for a few days. Get in."

"Where's Dean?" Sam asked, used to his brother picking him up from school. "Are he and Dad still working that job?"

"How about I treat you to a burger?"

Sam noticed Aidan didn't answer the question, but he opened the passenger side door and climbed into the truck. "Did my dad call you?"

"Let's just go eat."

Sam knew there was something going on but he also knew that Aidan wouldn't tell him anything before he was ready; he had no choice but to agree to the early dinner.

oooOOOooo

"Are you going to tell me what's going on now?" Sam asked, after he'd eaten half of his hamburger.

Aidan looked at him. He knew Sam was going to be mad. He knew the boy was going to complain that he should have been told about his brother's condition immediately and Aidan didn't really disagree. But he knew once Sam was at the hospital, it would take an army to get him to leave his brother's side and at least this way, he had some food in him. A recent growth spurt sent Sam over six feet tall and he always seemed to be hungry.

Steeling himself against Sam's attack, Aidan was about to answer his question when the cell phone in his jacket pocket began to ring. Aidan recognized John's number and hoped there wasn't bad news.

"Hey," he answered, not looking at Sam.

"Can you get away from Sammy for a second?"

"What? Hold on, you're breaking up." He moved the phone away and glanced at Sam. "I'm going to see if there's a better connection outside."

Aidan felt Sam's eyes on him as he walked out of the restaurant. "John? Did something happen?"

"The doctor thinks it's Dean's appendix and that he needs surgery."

"_Thinks_?"

"All of the symptoms don't fit, but enough of them…."

"When will they do the surgery?"

"He woke up a little while ago; he's not doing any better. The doctor wants to do the surgery tonight. Dean's asking for Sammy."

"I was about to tell him what happened. We can be there in a few minutes."

"Bring him. And Aidan?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks again."

oooOOOooo

Aidan slipped the phone back into his pocket and turned around to find Sam behind him.

"Was that my dad?"

"Yeah." Aidan was just tall enough that he could put his arm around Sam's shoulders and, as he did, he led the boy to the truck. "Your dad and brother didn't make it to the job today. Dean got sick. He, he's in the hospital, Sam."

"_What?_" Sam demanded, pulling away from Aidan. "I knew something was wrong! What – I can't believe you didn't tell me that my brother was in the hospital! He was fine this morning; what happened?"

"Your dad said the doctor thinks it's his appendix. "

"He needs surgery?" Sam choked out.

Aidan nodded. "Tonight."

"I want to see him."

"Your dad said that he's asking for you."

"Let's go." Sam glared at him. "And I'm really pissed at you, by the way."

Aidan got into the truck thinking that breaking the news had really not gone that badly. He expected much worse.

Sam and Aidan found John standing outside of Dean's room. He turned, hearing his younger son's voice.

"How's Dean?" Sam demanded. "Why aren't you with him?"

John put a hand on his shoulder. "The nurse is in there getting him ready for surgery. You'll be able to see him in a couple of minutes. You ate?"

"Dad –"

"Did you eat?"

"Yes, sir," he relented.

John looked at Aidan and he nodded.

"Was it your idea for Aidan to keep me away from here?" Sam demanded.

"No one was keeping you away," John explained with forced patience. "I knew you wouldn't eat if you found out about Dean first. The doctor has been with him and they've been doing tests so you wouldn't have been able to talk to him, anyway. And you're here now, right?"

Sam said nothing and John pulled him close, squeezing his shoulders. "He's going to be fine, Sammy."

A moment later a nurse came out of the room and smiled at John. "You can stay with him until the orderly comes to take him to the operating room. He's going to be groggy."

John nodded. "Thanks."

Sam had never seen his brother in a hospital bed. At nineteen, Dean had only been hunting with his father extensively for three years and even now, John kept him out of the bigger hunts. He'd been hurt before, but not bad enough that John's skills weren't adequate to handle the treatment. He hesitated just inside Dean's room after following his father inside.

"Hey there, kiddo." John laid his hand on Dean's head. "You doin' okay?"

Dean's grin was lopsided; clearly already feeling the effects of the sedative. "I'm okay."

John smiled at his slurred speech, then glanced over toward the door. "Sammy?"

The youngest Winchester slowly made his way to his brother's bedside, but stood very close to their father. John put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Dean."

"Hey, Sammy. You all right?"

"Me? I'm not the one in a hospital bed." His voice was quiet.

"How was school?" Dean asked, seemingly to relax his brother.

"Dean –" Sam felt tears in his eyes.

He saw Dean look at their father. "Is Aidan here?"

"In the hallway. I'll go get him."

John knew that Dean wanted a few minutes of privacy with his brother but he still hesitated for a moment. He caressed Dean's hair briefly then smiled at Sam. A moment later the brothers were alone.

"Dean –"

"I'm gonna be fine, Sammy. I promise," Dean said, obviously trying to regain some control of himself. Sam knew that his brother hated to see him scared and he could only imagine how he looked to Dean right now.

Sam only nodded.

Dean reached out with a slightly unsteady hand and held his brother's wrist. "I don't break my promises, right?"

Sam nodded again.

"Come here, sit down." Dean moved over so that Sam could sit almost comfortably next to him. The younger boy hesitated, but for only a moment. Their shoulders touched when Sam had maneuvered into the spot next to Dean and he felt some comfort from that. "You and Dad will have to referee your own fights for a couple of days."

"We'll be fine." Sam tried to sound confident.

"I know you will. I don't want you to worry about me."

"It's surgery, Dean."

"Yeah, but it's a simple one. I'll be up and ready to kick your ass again in no time." He managed to get his arm around Sam's shoulders. "I promise."

Sam found he could only nod. He'd felt calm and confident in the hallway, but something about seeing his brother – his older and self-assured brother – in a hospital bed scared him. There was another feeling he couldn't quite identify or shake.

John stood in the hallway with Aidan. He'd seen the fear in his younger son's eyes as soon as Sam saw Dean in that bed. Sam never ceased to amaze and confuse his father. He was tall and somewhat lanky, but because of the training John insisted upon, Sam had enough muscle mass to make him appear older than his fifteen years; even to John. Sometimes he forgot this man-child was barely a teenager and other times, he forgot that his baby was a high school sophomore. Dean was far better at consoling Sam than John could ever hope to be and he was concerned that he wouldn't be able to allay his son's fears.

After a few minutes, John and Aidan went into Dean's room. John breath caught when he saw his sons sitting together on the bed, Dean's arm around Sam's shoulders. Even when he was drugged and about to be operated on, the older boy's concern was for his brother. That warmed John's heart, but worried him at the same time. He'd wanted the boys to be close and he put Dean in charge of Sam's care at a young age. He was proud of how well Dean handled the responsibility, but something nagged at him once in a while, saying it was too much for his son. Trying not to react, John took up a spot near the foot of the bed as Aidan pulled a chair closer.

An orderly and nurse came for Dean a few minutes later and the family moved to the surgical waiting room.

oooOOOooo

She stood at the window, watching the light snow fall to the ground. It was spring, a little late in the year for snow, but there it was nonetheless. She sighed. The weather wasn't good for her mood, but she didn't need to be happy for what she had to do right now. In fact, being less than happy would probably work out better.

Things had been set in motion a few days ago, but there were still tasks to be accomplished, so she turned from the window and headed to one of the back bedrooms. The house wasn't large, but it suited her purposes perfectly and she felt lucky to have found it so easily. She went about mixing the various herbs necessary for her purpose and started humming without realizing it.

oooOOOooo

John watched his younger son as he pretended to flip through an old magazine he'd found in the waiting room. He knew Sam was worried and out of his element. He and Dean had worked very hard over the years to make Sam feel safe and protected and without his brother's influence, John knew Sam must feel somewhat lost. And no matter what the circumstances, seeing Dean vulnerable for the first time would be unsettling for him. He knew that Sam often saw his brother as larger than life and capable of anything. Sometimes John saw him the exact same way.

With just a look, John sent Aidan out of the room then sat down next to Sam on the small couch. The boy didn't look up, but shifted so that he was closer to his father. John slipped his arm over Sam's shoulders and leaned toward him. He knew there were hard times coming for him and his younger boy; Sam had started to exert his independence a few months ago and it was already testing John's patience. Sam wasn't like Dean; where the older boy followed orders without questions, Sam wanted to know why. He was becoming more vocal about being expected to put school second to hunting and, while John had his own reasons for wanting his sons close to him, he couldn't – or more accurately, wouldn't - explain it to them.

He didn't enjoy putting them in danger, and so far, that danger had actually been relatively minimal. Sam had yet been allowed to fully participate in a hunt and Dean only went on the less dangerous ones. John still preferred to leave them behind when there were big jobs to be handled and that's where Sam being in school was very convenient. He couldn't leave Sam home alone and Dean was always more than willing to stay behind to make sure his brother was all right.

John felt a random shiver pass through Sam's shoulders and pulled him closer. Sam didn't fight the gesture and quietly put the magazine aside.

"I didn't know he was sick."

The words had been spoken so quietly, John wasn't sure Sam actually said anything.

"I'm sorry, Dad."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. Appendicitis sometimes comes on with no symptoms until it's critical. Besides, you know how your brother is. He has a high tolerance for pain and if he felt anything, he probably thought it was something insignificant."

"I should have known."

John remembered having this same conversation with Dean several years ago when Sam had an ear infection. The boy had been too young to put more than two or three words together, but Dean still blamed himself for not recognizing something was wrong with the baby. It was hard for John to convince a five year old Dean that his brother's illness wasn't his fault and he didn't expect it to be any easier to convince Sam of the same thing.

"Sammy –"

"He always knows –"

John looked into Sam's eyes. "Even if we had noticed something, he'd still need surgery. He's going to be okay, Sammy. It's a simple operation and he'll be out of here in a couple of days."

"That's what he said. Well, that, and he'd be ready to kick my ass."

John smiled. "That sounds like Dean."

"Yeah," Sam agreed as Aidan walked into the room. "Where have you been?"

"Nowhere. Just wandering. You two okay? Do you need anything?"

"We're good, thanks," John replied after exchanging a look with Sam.

oooOOOooo

She pulled the book from the shelf even though she'd all but memorized the applicable pages, and laid it open on the work bench in front of her. She examined the illustrations and made sure her own matched exactly, then went through the supplies she'd gathered and mentally checked them off as she read through the list in the book. Everything was ready, but she had hours yet. Hearing the living room clock chime the hour, she smiled and covered the bench with a sheet before making her way to the kitchen.

Her purse was on the table, along with her car keys and a name tag. She slipped into a simple white sweater before pinning the name tag to it, then opened her purse and took a quick inventory of the contents. Satisfied that she had everything she needed, she left the house. When she got to the hospital twenty minutes later, she looked like every other senior citizen volunteer.

"Hey, Gretchen," the volunteer coordinator smiled as the older woman walked into the office. "We've got you in the children's ward this evening."

Gretchen slipped her purse into the small locker with her name on it and returned the coordinator's smile. "I don't think that's right."

"Oh, my mistake," the coordinator said, not looking away from Gretchen's piercing blue eyes. "You're in the surgical ward."

"That's what I thought."

Gretchen patted the younger woman's hand as she walked past her and back into the hallway. She took the elevator to the surgical ward and greeted the nurses she would be working with for the next couple of hours. There was some minor chatter as she familiarized herself with the names of the patients on the floor.

"There's a family in the waiting room." Judy, one of the nurses, smiled at her. "They have a boy with appendicitis. We got the call a bit ago that he's out of surgery and will be back in his room in about half an hour. You might want to take a look in on them."

Gretchen smiled. "I'd be glad to. Which patient is it?"

"Dean Walcott."

"I'll take very good care of them."

Judy nodded. "I know you will. We're not very full today; there probably won't be much for you to do."

"Oh, I'm sure I can find some way to amuse myself."

Judy and the other nurses laughed and Gretchen headed to the surgical waiting room down the hall. She found Aidan and the Winchesters, or Walcotts, as their fake ID said, just where she expected to. She introduced herself, explaining that she was one of the hospital volunteers and would be on duty for the next four hours if they needed anything. John smiled politely and they had no choice but to listen to her prattle on as she straightened up the room. She stacked magazines, threw away trash and checked the coffee-making supplies, all the while talking about nothing in particular.

John noticed Aidan seemed to have a negative reaction to her, but he didn't have a chance to ask him about it. While Gretchen was still busy tidying, a nurse came in with word that Dean was back in his room. The doctor had already stopped by to tell them the surgery went well and he expected a full recovery within the next couple of days.

"Give us a while to settle him in and monitor him – why don't you grab some dinner; give us at least an hour?" the nurse suggested.

"Is he awake?" Sam asked.

"He is, but still kind of out of it."

Gretchen put a hand on the nurse's elbow. "Maybe Mr. Walcott could go in, just for a minute, and let the boy know he can see his brother soon."

"Sure," the nurse smiled. "Gretchen, why don't you take Mr. Walcott to his son?"

John and Aidan exchanged a look before he followed Gretchen from the waiting room. Aidan put an almost protective hand on Sam's shoulder.

John waited just inside Dean's room and after a moment, Gretchen walked away. He approached the bed quietly and laid a gentle hand on his son's head. Dean's eyes fluttered open, but they were less than focused.

"Hey," John whispered as he leaned close.

"Dad?"

"Yeah, son. The doctor said the surgery went fine and you'll be out of here in a couple of days."

"Sammy?"

"He's with Aidan in the waiting room. They didn't want us all to come in until you were more settled. We'll be back soon, okay?"

Dean nodded as his eyes closed again. John watched him for a moment, then leaned down to kiss his forehead. He stroked Dean's hair gently and pulled the protective amulet his son normally wore from his jeans pocket. He placed it under Dean's pillow and hesitated again before reluctantly leaving the room. Something didn't feel right and John was used to living by his instincts.

"I think I should stay," Aidan whispered to John.

"What do you think is going on?"

"I don't know. I didn't see anything, but I've got this weird feeling."

John glanced at Sam who was pacing impatiently across the room.

"Maybe I should stay –"

"No," Aidan shook his head. "I think you should go. Take Sammy out of here for a little bit and I'll hang out, keep an eye on things."

John looked at him uncertainly.

"Go."

John was about to protest again, but instead, he sighed and nodded. He rounded up Sam and headed to the elevator. Aidan wasn't psychic, though he occasionally had a sense about things that tended to be pretty accurate. His real talent was being able to see a supernatural entity before it materialized and that was usually very helpful when on a hunt. John had learned to trust Aidan and his instincts in the fifteen years since he met him. There were very few people he trusted to get close to his sons and Aidan was on that very short list.

"What's going on, Dad?" Sam asked once they were in the parking lot. He had seen the way Aidan reacted to the volunteer and felt his father's tension afterward. He knew something had happened, but he knew it wouldn't be in his best interest to question his father until they were in private.

"I don't know, Sammy."

The teenager thought his father would lie and was prepared for a fight. He wasn't sure how to react to the unexpected honesty. He walked in silence.

John led Sam toward the car he'd handed down to Dean on his eighteenth birthday. Thinking back on the earlier events of the day, John realized he should have known something was wrong. Dean loved the car and drove it whenever he could; except for that morning. He tossed the keys toward John with some flippant comment and it was John who drove toward their job. He made a mental note to talk to Dean about that.

"Aidan is staying behind to keep an eye on things, but he has a feeling that something is wrong." John said once they were in the car.

"So why are we leaving?"

"Because I trust Aidan's instincts."

"Dean might be in danger?"

"He'll be fine; Aidan is there."

"The appendicitis –"

"Maybe we're all just over-reacting."

"You don't really believe that, do you?"

John turned the key in the ignition and glanced at his son. "I don't know, Sammy."

"Where are we going?"

"To the house. We'll pick some things up for your brother and grab some food."

"And maybe pick up some stuff for protection?"

John glanced at him again. "Yeah."

_TBC_


	2. Chapter 2

**Skirmish**

**Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer: **See chapter 1

**A/N: **Thanks so much for the feedback! It really means a lot to me. This isn't a terribly long chapter, but I'm working diligently… Hope you enjoy.

oooOOOooo

Life consists in penetrating the unknown, and fashioning our actions in accord with the new knowledge thus acquired - Leo Tolstoy

oooOOOooo

"Why didn't you go with the rest of your family?" Gretchen asked Aidan when she saw him in the hallway outside of Dean's room.

"Oh, we're not family. I'm just a friend."

She smiled at him. "Sometimes friends are as close as family."

Aidan only nodded.

"Have you been here long?"

"I was gone for a while," Aidan said as he tried to get a handle on her tone. She didn't seem agitated, but he still got the feeling that something was bothering her.

"Maybe you'd like to go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat."

"I'm fine, thanks. I'll just stay here; out of the way."

She nodded stiffly, a frozen smile on her face. "All right, then."

Aidan watched as Gretchen walked toward the nurses' station. She was probably in her early 60's and except for the cold feeling he got when she was near, she seemed like someone's grandmother. He went into the waiting room, sitting where he could keep an eye on Dean's door.

oooOOOooo

While Sam went to the bedroom he and Dean shared, John made them a quick dinner. He hadn't eaten since early that morning, but he still wasn't hungry. He knew he needed to eat, but he also decided if they were supposed to be gone from the hospital for an hour, that's how long they would be gone. Sam wasn't very interested in food either, but wasn't in the mood to fight with his father.

John called Aidan as he drove back to the hospital. Cell phones weren't allowed in the surgical ward and he didn't really expect his friend to answer, but when all he got was voicemail, it made him feel uneasy.

Sam carried the small bag he'd packed for Dean and trailed his father inside from the parking lot. John knew he was worried, but really had no words of consolation for him. He didn't believe in sugarcoating things for his boys – there were things he would flat out not tell them, but he didn't like to lie to them.

John couldn't help but notice the change in Sam since the day before. It was natural for a child to strike out on his own and do things for himself as he got older, and just yesterday, Sam was an independent young man fully capable of defending himself and making his own decisions. He wasn't outwardly scared of new situations, but since seeing Dean in the hospital bed earlier, he had stayed physically close to John. Even now, as they waited for the elevator, Sam was standing so close that they were almost touching. It reminded him of when the boy was very young and would hide behind him or Dean in unfamiliar places.

Aidan was standing in the hallway outside of Dean's room when the Winchesters got out of the elevator.

"Is Dean all right?" Sam asked, approaching his friend.

"He's okay. A nurse just went in to check on him."

"Has that old woman been here?"

"Sam," John cautioned, looking around.

"She talked to me for a few minutes when you first left, but she hasn't been back since then. I saw her at the other end of the hall a couple of times."

They turned as the door to Dean's room opened.

"Oh, Mr. Walcott," she smiled. "You can see him now. Visiting hours end in a couple of hours, but if there's no problem, one of you can stay with him after that."

"How is he doing?"

"He's fine; and much more awake than he was an hour ago." She glanced at Sam. "I'm on duty until 11:00 so if you need anything, just let me know."

"Thank you," John said and watched as she walked away.

"Come on, Dad," Sam said impatiently.

"Go ahead; I'll be right there."

Sam looked uncertainly toward the closed door, but nodded and walked across the hall.

"Things were quiet," Aidan said once he and John were alone. "Like I said, the old woman talked to me for a couple of minutes and then stayed at the other end of the hall."

"You get any kind of vibe from her?"

"Vibe?" Aidan smiled.

"Don't give me crap; it's been a long day."

"I know. I'm sorry, John. Look, I don't know what it is, but I do get a weird feeling from her. And she – well, she seems to be able to get people to do what she wants them to."

"Can't anything be easy?" John complained, running his fingers through his hair.

"Do you want me to stay tonight?"

"No, I will. But I need you to stay with Sammy at the house."

"Sure. I think I'm gonna snoop around a little bit; I'll be back soon."

"Be careful."

Dean heard the door and slowly opened his eyes.

"Sammy –" he sounded tired and hoarse.

"Hey, Dean. Dad's outside talking to Aidan."

The older boy nodded. "You okay?"

Sam smiled and put the duffle bag on the floor. "I didn't have surgery, man."

"Whatever." Dean shifted as Sam sat on the bed next to him. "What's in the bag?

"Clothes for when you get out. I also grabbed your new car magazines and some of your music."

"Thanks, Sammy."

"How are you feeling?"

"Good."

Sam laughed. "Liar."

"Yeah," Dean laid back against the pillow and closed his eyes. "But it's better than puking on the side of the road."

"So," Sam looked down. "How long were you not feeling well?"

"Just this morning."

"Really?"

"Sammy, it's over now, okay?"

"Look, man, I'm just saying – "

"I'm okay, Sammy."

"But when something's wrong, you should tell me or Dad and not keep it to yourself."

Dean looked at his brother briefly and saw the concern in his eyes. "You're right. But I promise I didn't feel bad before this morning."

"Okay."

John watched his boys through the small window in the door, a warm feeling in his heart and tears in his eyes. He knew the one weakness he had, the thing that would probably be his undoing, was his devotion to his sons. It might not look like it from the outside, but there was nothing John put before his sons. He'd told them since before they were old enough to understand that nothing came before killing the demon. What he didn't tell his sons, though, was that didn't include them. He would do anything to protect his sons.

He took a deep breath before pushing open the door.

oooOOOooo

Alone in the employee break room, she paced angrily. Everything was in place, but yet nothing was working. She should have been able to send John and the boy away, but something seemed to be blocking her. She couldn't read the other one at all. She wondered if she tipped her hand by convincing the nurse to let John visit his son before leaving. She knew she had to be smart; it was too easy to make mistakes around John because he never let his guard down. That was especially true when it involved his boys.

Sighing and straightening her sweater, Gretchen left the room with a smile on her face. She had only been volunteering at the hospital for a few weeks, but she was already everyone's favorite. Her reputation wouldn't matter soon, though, because once she finished what she had come here to do, she would disappear as if she'd never existed.

oooOOOooo

Sam was asleep next to his brother when the announcement came that visiting hours were over. John and Aidan were in a corner of the room, whispering about theories and fears that they were jaded and over-reacting. Whether they were or not, John already decided he was spending the night at the hospital. He didn't care that Dean was nineteen or that he might have misread the volunteer; his son was not going to be alone in a hospital all night. He was no more comfortable with seeing Dean sick and vulnerable than Sam was.

"I don't want to go," Sam said when John woke him. Dean stirred slightly.

"Don't worry; I'll be with him, Sammy. I want you in your own bed. Besides, you have school tomorrow and –"

"I'm not going to school when Dean is in the hospital."

"Sam," John decided this wasn't a battle that needed to be fought. "I'll leave that up to you. But you're going home with Aidan now."

The young man looked at his brother, then back to John. "You'll stay in the room with him?"

"I'll be by his side all night."

Sam nodded and carefully got out of the bed. "Okay."

John laid a hand on Sam's shoulder and when his son looked at him, he wasn't quite sure what he saw in his eyes. He recognized the uncertainty and trust, but there was something else as well. It was almost like Sam knew something that he wasn't saying.

"I'll call in the morning," John promised.

Sam nodded and had started to look away when he turned back to his father and hugged him. Surprised, it took him a moment to react, but John returned the hug and whispered into his son's ear that everything would be all right.

John stood next to Dean's bed, a hand on his arm. Still under the effects of the anesthesia, he'd been sleeping for hours and John was glad for that. He noticed that Sam had slipped the string bracelet back on Dean's wrist. He didn't quite understand the bracelets, but each of the boys wore one, and he'd chosen not to ask questions. The boys had their own rituals and secrets that he didn't interfere with.

There was only so much he could do for protection. At home they salted the doors and windows, but that certainly wasn't practical in a hospital room. He put Dean's necklace around his neck a while ago; the nurse noticed it when she came in on her rounds, but didn't say anything about it. There were a few things hidden around the room that wouldn't cause concern, but John still felt somewhat uneasy.

Aidan had spent an hour trying to find information about Gretchen, but all he'd been able to report back to John was that everyone seemed very fond of her. No one seemed to know anything about her personally, but his snooping in the volunteer coordinator's office got him her home address. John didn't like the idea of Aidan taking Sam to her house with him, but he preferred that to Sam being left alone. He used to think that things would be easier when the boys were old enough to take care of themselves, but in some ways, it was harder.

There were a few people in his life he could leave the boys with when they were younger; Pastor Jim was always a willing caretaker, but no one was better at caring for Sam than his older brother. Most of the time, the boys were together and things were easy. It was the few times, like this, when they had to be separated that John wished he could be in two places at once.

Earlier in the evening, a nurse told John they didn't expect anyone to be admitted overnight and he could use the second bed in Dean's room. He thanked her, but had no intention of sleeping. Before Aidan left with Sam, John got a large cup of coffee and he had over the counter caffeine pills if he got tired. There was a fairly comfortable chair in the room and John settled in. He had a book and his journal, but his attention stayed on his son.

"What are we looking for?" Sam asked.

"Anything that looks suspicious," Aidan explained. "But be very careful. We don't want to leave any evidence that anyone was here."

Sam had only been shown how to search a room using their home for the training. The most involvement Sam was allowed to have in hunts was research; not only was he very good at it, he enjoyed doing it. Aidan searched the front rooms thoroughly while keeping an eye on Sam, but it wasn't long before he could see that the boy knew what he was doing.

"Aidan!" Sam called a few minutes later. He'd moved to the back of the house and it took Aidan only a few rushed steps to reach him.

"What the…" He walked into the room where he could see that Sam removed a sheet from the workbench in the back bedroom, revealing what was obviously paraphernalia for use in a ritual.

"What is this stuff?" Sam asked fearfully.

Aidan examined the items on the bench, but his attention immediately went to the large book. He picked it up and turned to the marked page.

"Aidan," Sam pointed to a small picture of his brother.

"Son of a…" he looked over the bench again. "This isn't good, kid. Come on, we need to go."

Sam didn't move.

He replaced the book. "Help me with the sheet."

"Aidan –"

"Now, Sam."

The younger boy didn't wait to be told again. They adjusted the sheet and then Sam followed the older hunter out of the house.

"What's going on?" Sam asked as they got into Aidan's truck.

"The book was about Hoodoo; the marked page was how to control situations."

"The picture of Dean –"

"Your dad needs to know about this." Aidan pulled out his cell phone as he drove toward the hospital.

"Who are you calling? Dad won't have his phone on in the hospital."

"I'm not calling your dad. Caleb is nearby; I'm calling him."

Caleb was another trusted ally and Aidan knew that John would accept his assistance. Aidan had first called him a few hours before when he began to suspect something was going on with the volunteer. As he listened to the phone ring, Aidan hoped Caleb hadn't run into traffic.

oooOOOooo

Gretchen looked at the clock behind the nurses' station. Her shift was almost over and staying late would look suspicious. With John still in the hospital, and outside of her control, there was nothing she could do, anyway. She glanced at Judy as the nurse sat behind the desk making notes in a patient's file. Gretchen found that she couldn't control John, but she could still control the people around him.

"Hi Judy," Gretchen smiled as she approached the desk.

The nurse looked up at her. "About ready to leave for the night?"

"Yes. With visiting hours over, I'm sure you'll want to get everyone settled for the night."

"I think most are already asleep."

"It's been a quiet night," Gretchen said. "How is that new boy? Walcott?"

Judy nodded. "Yes, Dean. He's doing fine. His father is going to stay with him tonight."

"That's sweet." Gretchen reached into her sweater pocket with one hand and patted Judy's wrist with the other. "I should get out of your hair, I suppose. I hope you have a quiet evening."

"Thank you," Judy smiled. "And thanks for your help tonight."

"It was my pleasure."

Gretchen headed for the elevator, pausing briefly outside of Dean's room.

John looked at Dean as he shifted in the bed. A moment later his eyes opened and he looked around nervously.

"Dean?"

The boy relaxed immediately, hearing his father's voice. John moved to the edge of the bed. "Hey, son."

"It must be late. You should be home with Sammy."

"Aidan is with your brother."

Dean cleared his throat. "I'm thirsty."

John poured water from the pitcher left by a nurse earlier and handed the cup to his son who nodded his thanks.

"Sammy okay?"

"He's fine. He fell asleep with you earlier."

"I'm sure that was amusing for you."

John smiled. "Reminded me of when you two were little. How are you feeling?"

"I ache a little bit, but I'm okay. I'm still tired."

"The doctor said it would be a while before the anesthesia is completely out of your system. Why don't you just close your eyes and don't fight it?"

Dean held out the cup he'd emptied of water and noticed the bracelet on his wrist. "Sammy give this back to me?"

John nodded. "You've got the amulet, too."

"I smell eucalyptus."

"Aidan brought it." John nodded toward a small flower arrangement across the room.

"Did he just think it was pretty or is it protection from something?"

"It's just a precaution."

"And that's why you're staying the night?"

"Go to sleep, Dean."

"Dad –"

John laid a hand on his son's arm. "Don't worry about anything; just get better so your brother stops worrying about you."

"Sammy the only one worried?"

Smiling, John cupped Dean's face gently. "Yeah, he's the only one."

When John glanced toward the door later, he expected to see Gretchen's face but instead he saw Caleb. Surprised, John motioned his friend to come in.

"What are you doing here?" John whispered.

"Aidan asked me to come. How's Dean doing?"

"He's fine; he'll be out of here in a day or two. What did Aidan tell you?"

Caleb glanced toward the bed.

"He's asleep," John said, but moved across the room anyway.

"Aidan thought you might need a little backup. He went to that old woman's house and found a whole lot of Hoodoo stuff."

"Really." John said thoughtfully.

"And a picture of our boy here."

"_What?_"

Caleb shrugged. "That's what Aidan said."

"Where is he now?"

"Working on some defense."

"He's got Sammy with him?"

"Yup. And now that I've delivered the message, I thought I'd go find out what I can about that old woman."

John nodded. "Stay in touch with Aidan – and I don't want Sammy awake all night. You and Aidan either, for that matter. I suspect the old woman will be back on her game tomorrow, if she isn't now."

"Don't worry. You just stay here and keep an eye on Dean; we'll handle the rest of it."

They looked toward the door when it opened. Judy nodded toward Caleb as she went about examining Dean.

"I'm headed out." Caleb looked at John and he nodded. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

John watched him walk out, then turned his attention to the nurse as she replaced the nearly empty IV bag. She examined Dean briefly and checked the monitor while making notes in his chart.

"He woke up for a little while," John said.

"Good. The doctor will be by early in the morning; he probably won't order any food for Dean until lunch, but I'd be willing to bet he gets released sooner than we thought earlier today. He seems to be doing very well."

"That's good news."

She smiled at him, then looked back to the patient for a moment. "There's a shift change coming up soon. I'll let the replacement head nurse know you're in here for the night. Do you need anything?"

"No. Thank you."

She glanced at Dean again and then headed out of the room.

John rubbed his stubbled face and sighed. He wasn't one for sitting around and waiting; and he really wasn't one for letting other people handle his problems, but he wasn't sure what else to do right now. Dean needed someone to watch over him, the old woman needed to be investigated and Sammy need to be kept safe.

_TBC_


	3. Chapter 3

**Skirmish**

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer: **See chapter 1

**A/N: **Sorry for the delay; I've been distracted this week by kitty surgery. Charlotte, the evil kitty (to everyone but me), is recovering nicely and giving me lots of time to write. Thanks to everyone who has given me feedback; I really appreciate it!

oooOOOooo

The architects of this wickedness will find no safe harbor in this world. We will chase our enemies to the furthest corners of this Earth. It must be war without quarter, pursuit without rest,

victory without qualification. - Tom Delay

oooOOOooo

Aidan reached for his cell phone when it started to ring.

"Hey, man." He recognized Caleb's number on the caller ID screen.

"You didn't tell me it was snowing here when you called. I hate snow."

"Whatever. It's not like there's a blizzard on the way; it's just a dusting. Where are you?"

"I just left the hospital. I do so enjoy giving John bad news," he said with heavy sarcasm. "Hell, the only thing that kept him in check was that Dean was sleeping and some nurse walked in while I was there. So where are you two?"

"At the house. I've got Sam going through some books and I'm seeing what's here that we can use. What are you going to do?"

"See what I can find out about that old woman."

"That won't be easy. I tried earlier –"

"You don't have the same contacts I do," Caleb said confidently.

"Call me in an hour," Aidan instructed. "Be careful."

"You too. Keep an eye on Sam."

"You don't have to tell me that."

oooOOOooo

Gretchen stood just inside the back bedroom, staring at the sheet-covered workbench. Something didn't seem right, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Everything looked the same as when she left it. Almost. She removed the sheet and surveyed the bench.

"Well," she said to no one.

She waved her hands over the bench, trying to get a sense of who had been in the room, but she felt nothing. Logic told her it had been the man who had been with John Winchester most of the day, but she had no proof of that. It wasn't like there was no one else whose path she had crossed who wished her harm.

With some natural abilities and some education in various disciplines, she had been for hire most of her life. She worked for anyone with the money to pay her and she didn't care which side she was on. It wasn't about good and evil or right and wrong for her. She didn't care about that; she just cared about who had the most money.

But this time she wasn't working for the highest bidder. Having recently celebrated her sixty-fifth birthday, she realized she didn't have a lot of years left and had begun to wonder if there was someone – or something – that would hold her accountable for how she lived her life. She thought she'd gotten her answer when, a few weeks ago, she received a visit from someone who didn't offer to pay her, but instead proposed protection from judgment, along with an extended life, if she was so inclined.

She had never met John Winchester, but she knew about him. She knew the kind of people he chose as friends and she knew that doing him harm could prove dangerous to her. But the offered protection was inviting and the threats of what would happen if declined made the choice easy. The other times she took instruction from someone, there seemed to be a reason for what she was doing, but this assignment just seemed pointless and cruel.

Trying not to think about that, Gretchen took an inventory of the workbench. When she was satisfied that everything was there, she went into the kitchen to make some tea. She realized she had been too bold to approach the Winchesters directly and now she had to figure out how to finish the job.

oooOOOooo

"She's for hire," Caleb said into his phone.

"Excuse me?"

"She works for whoever has the bucks and she's an expert in Hoodoo, Voodoo, witchcraft, and God knows what else."

"Grandma is bad news," Aidan said unhappily. "Any idea who she's working for now?"

"No, but I've got some people on it."

"Where are you?"

"Watching Grandma's house. Is Sam all right?"

"He finally fell asleep."

"Maybe you should do the same thing. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a long day."

"What about you?"

"Don't worry about me. I've got someone coming to relieve me in a little while."

"You gonna come here?"

"Yeah; I have a key."

"Like you need a key," Aidan muttered. "I'm salting the doors and windows, so make sure you fix it if you disturb it."

"Will do. See ya later."

John didn't like being out of touch with Aidan and Caleb, but he also didn't want to leave Dean's room to call either of them. He felt safer with Gretchen gone, but decided that Dean was still too vulnerable to be left alone – even for the amount of time it would take John to call home from the waiting room pay phone.

Dean moaned softly causing John to glance at him with concern. He'd been sleeping quietly for hours. A few minutes later he shifted in bed, moaning again. John reached out and laid a hand on his arm, surprised at the heat coming from his skin. He glanced at the monitor and noted his temperature had gone up. When the moaning became whimpering, John tried to comfort him as he reached for the nurse call button. It was time for the nurse's regular rounds and the door opened before he was able to press it.

"How's he doing?" she smiled.

"He's a little agitated and his temperature is up," John said.

She glanced through the chart, making notes of his current statistics.

"Infections after surgery are not uncommon," she explained.

"When he talked to me after the surgery, the doctor said he was concerned about the incision area and was put him on antibiotics as a preventative."

She nodded, seeing the notation in the chart. "He's been getting them, along with the IV."

John watched as she checked the bag, but his attention moved to Dean when he noticed the boy's eyes open.

"Hey," the father smiled.

"How are you feeling?" the nurse asked, moving into his line of sight.

"Not good."

"I'm going too look at the incision," she smiled, reaching for the hospital gown.

John couldn't see the incision because of how she held the gown, but he saw the expression on her face and it worried him. He also didn't like Dean's sharp intake of air when the nurse gently touched the area.

"I think I'll have the doctor on call take a quick look," she smiled at Dean and replaced the bandage and gown. "I'll be right back."

He looked toward his father as John moved around to the other side of the bed once the nurse was gone. "I'll take a look at that myself."

John was familiar with infected wounds, both from his time in the military and as a hunter, but he was unprepared for what he saw under his son's bandage. He had never seen an infection progress so quickly before; the area was red, seeping and appeared to be swollen.

"Dad?"

John put everything back into place.

"What do you think?" Dean asked, sounding afraid.

John was spared having to answer. The doctor walked in and introduced himself as John moved to the other side of the bed. He wasn't planning to leave his son, but was pleased that Dr. Henderson didn't even suggest it. Both the Winchesters read his expression as he examined the incision and Dean looked toward his father for reassurance. John smiled at him, patting his arm.

"I'm going to order a topical antibiotic as well as increasing the intravenous medication," the doctor explained a moment later. "And we'll monitor this closely."

After making a few notes in Dean's chart, the doctor turned his attention to him. "How do you feel?"

"Achy all over and my side really hurts. I'm cold."

"That's the fever," Dr. Henderson explained. "The medication will help with that soon. We'll get you an extra blanket, too."

After a few more questions, the doctor excused himself and promised to check on Dean later. John followed him from the room.

"Doctor –"

"I'm going to be honest with you, Mr. Walcott. I've never seen an infection occur that quickly; especially since he was already on antibiotics. The medication I've ordered is pretty aggressive stuff. I don't want this to get out of hand. How is your son's health generally? Is he prone to infections?"

"No." John shook his head. "In fact, he hasn't had so much as a cold since he was little. He gets pretty scraped up, like boys do, but he heals quickly."

The doctor nodded. "Well, this certainly isn't unheard of. Let me get this ordered so we can start the treatment. I'll be back to check on him in a couple of hours."

"Thank you," John said and watched the doctor walk to the nurses' station. He sighed and went back into Dean's room. His eyes were closed, but John knew he was awake.

"Dean?"

"Don't tell Sammy about this, okay?" he whispered, his eyes still closed.

"Sammy isn't here, son."

"I know, but when he comes back –"

"Don't worry about your brother. You just concentrate on getting better."

Dean rested his arm across his midsection. "I'm scared."

John couldn't remember ever hearing those words come from his older son before. He carefully sat on the edge of the bed and put a hand on Dean's leg. "You're going to be fine, Dean."

"I've never felt like this before."

"You've never had your appendix taken out before either," John pointed out.

Dean started to shake and John figured it was as much from fear as the fever. He pulled the blanket from the other bed and adjusted around his son. "Better?"

Dean nodded, clutching the material.

"Look at me, son."

Dean's eyes moved to his father.

"You're going to be okay. I promise."

"Have you talked to Aidan or Sammy?"

"Not for a while. It's late."

"You need to check on them."

"They're fine, Dean; probably sleeping."

"Please."

"Dean –"

His eyes bore into John's. "Please."

The father nodded, not used to seeing Dean this way. His normally confident, some would say cocky, son was obviously frightened and not just for himself.

"Okay. There's a pay phone in the waiting room. It's right down the hall."

Aidan's eyes shot open at the sound of Sam yelling. He jumped up from Dean's bed and saw Sam flailing, obviously still asleep. He grabbed Sam's wrists, trying to calm him, and glanced up when Caleb rushed in seconds later.

Sam's eyes opened and he pulled out of Aidan's grip to rub his face.

"Nightmare?" Caleb asked.

"We need to check on Dean – warn Dad."

"What about?"

"I saw that old woman standing over Dean's bed in the hospital. She was doing something to him; I don't know what –"

"Hold on, Sam," Caleb warned as he sat on the edge of the bed. "It was a dream –"

"We have to make sure!"

Aidan and Caleb exchanged a look when the telephone started to ring just seconds later. Sam scrambled out of bed and raced to the kitchen, grabbing the phone before coming to a full stop.

"Hello?"

"Sammy –"

"Is Dean all right? I had a dream about that old woman and was doing something to Dean!" Sam's words practically rolled over each other.

"Sammy, hold on. That was in your dream?"

"Yeah, is Dean all right?" Sam sounded frantic.

"Calm down. He's okay; now what about you?"

"I'm okay."

"Let me talk to Caleb or Aidan for a minute."

Sam wanted to protest, but knew better. He handed the phone to Caleb, who had followed him to the kitchen.

Caleb took the phone from Sam. "John?"

"Is he really all right?"

Caleb shot an eye to Sam. He looked worried and his dream had scared him; he was letting Aidan lead him away from the room, but Caleb knew he'd be fine.

"He's worried, John. We all are. Look, I have something to tell you."

"Go ahead."

"The woman; she's a hired gun. She's into Hoodoo, Voodoo, witchcraft – and she works for the highest bidder. I've got people trying to figure out who she's working for. Piss anyone off lately?" Caleb asked.

"Probably."

Caleb cleared his throat. "Yeah, well. So, I called Jim and he's putting out feelers, too."

"Is Dean even safe in this hospital or is she after him? Is that why he got sick in the first place?"

"I don't have those answers yet, John."

"Look, is Sammy still standing there?"

"No. Aidan took him to the living room."

"Dean's incision is infected. The doctor is treating it aggressively, but he said he's never seen an infection happen this quickly. I saw the incision and it looks bad. Really bad." John paused. "I was hoping I could get Dean out of here tomorrow – today – but not with the infection. We'll have to figure out a game plan –"

"Have you even slept, John?"

"Not really."

"Yeah, I know what your game plan is going to be."

"I'll be fine."

"Not even you can go without sleep indefinitely."

"So I'll see you in a couple of hours?"

Caleb sighed. He knew better than to argue with John. "Yeah."

"Take care of Sammy."

"Of course."

"Let me talk to him again."

Caleb took the cordless receiver to Sam.

"Dad?"

John cringed; Sam sounded so young and so afraid to his father's ears.

"Sammy, I don't know what's going on yet, but I'm going to figure it out. I need you to pay attention to what Caleb and Aidan tell you; don't argue with them, okay?"

"I want to see Dean."

"I know you do and you will in a couple of hours. Aidan and Caleb are going to bring you here, but I've already been warned I'll need to make myself scarce for a little while after the next shift change."

"But –"

"Trust me, okay?"

Sam sighed. "I do. It's just – it's _Dean_. He doesn't get sick and – is he really okay?"

John glanced toward his son's room across the hall. "He's going to be okay. I know it's not easy seeing him sick, but it's not permanent."

"I know. I don't ever remember him being sick before; not even a cold."

"It's been a while, that's for sure. But you have seen him with a broken ankle."

"Yeah, but that didn't make him sleep all the time."

"That was the anesthesia," John pointed out. "I want to get back to Dean, but I need to make sure you're okay before I hang up."

"I am."

Sam's voice was quiet and John knew he wasn't being entirely honest, but he was trying.

"Okay, I'll see you soon." John reluctantly hung up and returned to Dean's room. He was sleeping fitfully, but seemed to calm when he felt John's hand on his arm and heard his calming voice.

oooOOOooo

Gretchen was almost ready for another shift at the hospital. She'd been awake most of the night, worrying that she'd messed things up too badly the day before to finish her work efficiently. She hoped the influence she'd exerted over the nurse before she left resulted in Dean being sick enough to distract his father. John Winchester was more formidable than she'd anticipated and she wasn't sure if she was more afraid of him or her employer.

She'd seen the car parked outside of her house the night before and suspected the person inside was there on Winchester's behalf. She also noticed the change of watcher a few hours ago; she couldn't help but wonder how many people he had at his call.

Sipping tea, she thought back to the day she'd accepted this job. She never really had a choice; the man who came to her gave her every reason to believe that his threats could be carried out with very little effort on his part. She was drawn to his power and his promise of protection from those who might judge her was overwhelming. Turning him down was never an option. Besides, what he was asking of her was simple enough.

Some of the people she'd worked for over the years wanted real damage done, either financial or physical, and that never bothered her. She always assumed they had their reasons and as long as they had cash commensurate with what they asked her to do, it was none of her concern. But this man, this obviously powerful man, wanted nothing permanent. He told her to make Dean sick; sick enough to need hospitalization, but nothing that would have lingering effects. It had to be sudden and completely unexpected. The recovery couldn't be speedy. As he put it, for every step forward, Dean needed to take one back. Her employer gave her a timeline, but was leaving the details up to her.

With her position in the hospital, Gretchen expected to have no trouble getting access to the boy, even though she wouldn't need it. She could just as easily do what she needed to do from a safe distance, but there was never any fun in that for her. She assumed that she would be able to control the Winchesters just like she'd been able to control everyone else she ever met. A few herbs, an amulet, and she could make people do anything she wanted. She had never encountered anyone immune to her and she'd spent part of the night studying and making more powerful concoctions.

She put the empty tea cup into the sink and then slipped into the same sweater she wore the day before. She checked the pocket and found the small bag of calamus root chips that she used to control the head nurse the previous night. She moved back to the kitchen table and picked up the bag of poppy seeds that were normally used to dominate or weaken enemies and, though she didn't really expect it to work on Winchester or his friends, she would take nothing for granted. She made that mistake once with these people and she wouldn't do it again. She'd used lemon grass leaves to increase the power of the amulet she always carried and put it on a chain that she hung around her neck. The chain had been treated with a mixture to provide protection, which, she suspected, she would need.

A few other miscellaneous items were placed into the fanny pack she decided she would wear and then she left the house, well aware of the car that was still parked outside. The snow had stopped falling hours ago and, as she made her way to her own car, she could see foot prints under the front windows. Aware she was being watched, she made special note to close the blinds, though she wondered if the person outside hadn't somehow been able to see her anyway.

ooOOOooo

"Dad?"

John was dozing in the chair next to Dean's bed, but was immediately alert when he heard his son's voice.

"Hey there," he leaned forward. "How do you feel?"

"Better, I think."

John moved to the side of the bed and touched Dean's forehead. He could see on the monitor that his fever was down, but he needed more than a machine for confirmation. The doctor had been in a couple of hours before and was glad to see the incision looking better.

"What time is it?" Dean asked.

"About 7:30."

"You called home last night, right? I guess I fell asleep before you came back."

John smiled. "Yeah, everything was fine. You needed the sleep"

"Looks like you could use some, too."

"Don't worry about me," John said as the door opened.

The head nurse for the day shift introduced herself, then went about a brief examination and making notes in Dean's chart.

"One of the assistants will be in soon to get you and the room cleaned up a bit," she turned her attention to John. "That would be a good time for you to take a break."

John understood her meaning and, though he hated it, he knew he'd have to comply with her wishes. He couldn't miss Dean's slightly worried expression and it bothered him to see his son so nervous. When they were alone again, John sat on the edge of the bed and put a hand on Dean's leg.

"You all right?"

"I feel better."

"That isn't what I meant."

"I'm sorry, Dad."

John looked confused. "For what?"

"I – " Dean looked away.

"For what?" John asked again.

"Showing weakness."

He said it quietly, still not looking at his father and the words tore at John's heart. He'd raised his boys to be strong; showing weakness in a hunt could get them killed. But seeing his boy in a hospital bed, only hours outside of surgery and still suffering the effects of a sudden infection, feeling inadequate because he was scared, was an unintended effect of the training. As much as he loved them, sometimes John forgot his sons weren't really soldiers.

"Dean," John hesitated. What could he say to his son to make him feel better? "You haven't done anything wrong. You've been sick, that's all."

Dean closed his eyes.

"Hey," John said, squeezing his leg. "Look at me."

Dean's eyes stayed closed and John resorted to the tone he used when issuing an order. Reluctantly, Dean turned to face him.

"What weakness have you shown?" John waited a beat. "You may feel scared, but that's okay. I never said fear was a bad thing; fear will keep you sharp. But you've shown no weakness. You haven't let on how you feel inside. But if you want to talk to me about it, I'm here."

Dean shook his head.

John was forced from the room a few minutes later. He was headed down the hall to the men's room when he saw Sam and Caleb coming from the elevator.

"How's Dean?" Sam asked as he approached his father and handing him a cup of coffee.

"Thanks, Sammy. Dean is doing okay," he said and looked pointedly at Caleb, hoping he'd somehow understand what he couldn't say in front of Sam. "There's a nursing assistant in with him now. Where's Aidan?"

"He'll be here later," Caleb explained. "There were some things he wanted to pick up at that naturalist store he likes so much."

John looked at his friend. "Thank you for coming. I don't think I said that last night –"

"Yeah, well, it's Dean. So, since you've apparently been kicked out of the room for a while, why don't you go get some rest?"

"I'm fine."

"Uh huh. You look like hell. Sammy and I will take up the cause. You stay awake much longer, you're going to fall over and I'll have to carry your heavy ass out here."

John looked to Sam.

"I'll take care of Dean, Dad."

"All right; but just for a little while. Caleb, did any of your contacts come through yet?"

"Come on, if they had, that would have been the first thing out of my mouth. Now get out of here."

John put a quick hand on Sam's shoulder. "I'll be back soon. Call me if anything happens or if you get any information. The nurse said to give them about an hour before going into Dean's room."

"Got it," Caleb said. He looked toward the waiting room. "Nice of them to put Dean where we can see his door from that comfy looking couch."

"Just be careful."

"You, too."

John sat behind the wheel of the Impala, sipping the coffee, for several minutes. He knew Caleb was right; he needed some rest or he would be useless to Dean. But his mind was working on the problem at hand. Who was the old woman and who was she working for? Why go after Dean? Had the boy somehow gotten on someone's bad side, or was it just to get to him? Despite the training and wanting them to join him in the hunt, John was highly protective of his sons and he would kill anything – or any_one_ – who hurt them, without a second thought.

He was exhausted and his emotions were threatening to overwhelm him. Sighing, John started the engine and drove toward the small house that he called home. Caleb and Sam were more than able to look after Dean, and he trusted Caleb implicitly. At the house, John took a hot shower before falling into bed.

Caleb hated not being able to use his cell phone in the hospital. It was more than just a little inconvenient to go outside and he didn't want to leave the brothers alone. He didn't have any special powers, but he didn't mind being an ass if he had to be. Sam didn't have enough experience yet and no one was going pay attention to a fifteen year old kid, anyway. He looked over at Sam to see him staring intently at the closed door to his brother's room.

"You tryin' to burn a hole in it?"

"Huh?" Sam glanced at him.

"The door. Or did you develop x-ray vision?"

"Shut up, man."

"It's been almost an hour," Caleb said. They'd seen the assistant leave the room a little while ago, only to be replaced by a doctor and then the head nurse.

"Does it bother you that I'm worried about my brother?" Sam asked irritably.

Caleb realized his attempt to lighten the situation had only made it worse. "Sorry, kid, I was just trying to get your mind off of it."

"Yeah, well, nice try."

Caleb knew a lot of people, mostly hunters, but he'd never seen anything like the relationship between Sam and Dean Winchester. The devotion they had for each other was sometimes a little scary, but it warmed even his cold heart. They had their own language and could communicate with no words at all; being around them sometimes made him feel pretty insignificant.

"Sam –"

The boy sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Let's just drop it, okay? We're both on edge."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a moment. "Hey, Caleb?"

"Yeah?"

"Did something happen last night?"

"What do you mean?"

"My dream – it wasn't just a dream, man. If something didn't happen here, then it happened with the old woman."

"Sam –"

"Did my dad tell you anything on the phone last night? Something you didn't tell me?"

"I –"

Sam looked at him. "He did, didn't he? Something about Dean? I saw him look at you before --"

"Fine, all right," Caleb sighed. "Dean developed an infection last night, but he's doing okay now."

"I knew it!" Sam hissed. "Damn it, Caleb! I'm really tired of everyone keeping stuff from me."

"We're just doing what your dad wants, kid."

"Yeah, well, sometimes Dad can be an ass."

Caleb looked at him surprised. "Don't let him hear you say that."

Sam smiled shyly. "I don't even like him to be in the same room when I _think_ it."

"Look, you know I don't always agree with your dad's choices, but I never doubt that he does what he thinks is best for you two. He didn't want you to worry any more than you already were about Dean. And if I know your brother, I'd bet he asked John not to tell you."

"I know he does his best, but he can't have it both ways. He can't keep things from me and get me involved with hunts – besides, this time it's about my brother." Sam looked at Caleb. "And if was me in that room, Dad wouldn't have kept anything from Dean no matter what I asked him to do."

"You're right, but you're also the younger brother. That gives you added protection by default."

Sam looked at him. "I'm not a baby anymore."

"Your dad and brother know that," Caleb said, trying to think of some way to appease his young friend. The problem was, he didn't necessarily disagree with him. He knew John had his reasons for wanting Sam protected, and for putting a majority of the weight of that burden onto Dean's shoulders, but he had no idea what those reasons were.

"Has it been an hour yet?" Sam asked a moment later.

"No, but close," Caleb stood up. "Let's go."

Dean was sitting up in bed, flipping through television channels when Sam and Caleb walked in. He was feeling better, but not back to normal by any means. The incision area was still infected, but the antibiotics he'd been given throughout the night were helping and the fever was down.

"Why aren't you in school?" he asked, looking at Sam.

"You're kidding."

"Sam –"

"Dean."

The older brother gave in first. "Where's Dad?"

"I sent him home to get some rest," Caleb said as he sat in a chair next to the bed. "How are you doing?'

"I'm okay. I didn't know you were in town."

"I couldn't let you be in a hospital without seeing my smiling face."

Dean rolled his eyes.

"I know about the infection," Sam said accusingly. "Was it your idea to keep it from me?"

"If you're going to bust my chops all day, you can just leave," Dean glared at him. He knew Sam was worried and probably scared, but he was in no mood to deal with his brother's theatrics.

Sam sat on the edge of the bed. "Sorry. Are you really okay?"

"Getting there, anyway." Dean tossed the remote control aside. "So what's going on? What's with all the protection stuff in here? Dad said it was just a precaution."

Caleb stared at him, but cast a glance at Sam. "That's what it is."

Dean suddenly understood. He knew something, but Sam wasn't in the loop. He tried to think of some way to get Sam out of the room for a few minutes, but nothing came to him. And since he didn't know what information Caleb had, he didn't want to convince him to talk in front of Sam.

"There's this old woman, though," Sam began.

"What old woman?"

"She's a volunteer and Aidan got a really weird feeling around her. Then we saw her make a nurse do what she wanted."

Dean looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"It's like she was able to control this nurse," Sam shrugged and told him about the previous night.

"What do you know about that?" Dean looked at Caleb.

He sighed. "I've got people looking in to who she is."

"Aidan and I were at her house."

"_What_?" Dean demanded. "Aidan took you there?"

"She had all kinds of Hoodoo stuff; herbs, whatever," he looked at Dean. "And a picture of you."

"A picture of me?" Dean sounded a lot younger than nineteen.

"Don't worry, man, we're going to get to the bottom of this," Caleb assured him.

"Why would she have a picture of me?"

"She was probably using it in a ritual."

"Is that why I got sick?"

Caleb remembered the conversation with John from the night before. "I don't know, Dean. Aidan is at the herb store getting some more stuff. We'll keep you safe."

Dean glanced at Sam; he didn't like the expression on his face and wanted to do something to make him feel better.

"Have you talked to any of your contacts today?" Dean asked, casually laying a hand on Sam's leg. He looked at Caleb, hoping he would understand that he wanted a few minutes alone with his brother.

"No. But maybe I could run downstairs and make a call. You two stay out of trouble."

Caleb waited for the elevator, uncertain about leaving the brothers alone. He didn't know what they were up against, or if he'd of any use against the old woman, but if something happened while he was out of the room – even if he couldn't have stopped it – he knew John would have his hide.

When they were alone, Sam turned back to his brother. Dean was pale and the younger boy could tell he was in pain.

"Do you need anything?" Sam asked quietly.

"I could use some water."

Sam poured the water; Dean's hand was shaking slightly as he put the cup to his lips.

"Dean?"

"I'm okay," the older boy said as he handed the empty cup back to his brother.

Sam wasn't all sure he really was, but chose not to push the matter for now. He watched as Dean seemed to sink further into the bed.

"So…" Sam began uncomfortably.

"Don't worry so much," Dean said, sounding weaker than he had only a few minutes ago.

"You don't look so good."

"Impossible."

"Dean –"

"I always look good," Dean said, a feeble smile on his face.

"Says you," Sam returned the smile.

­­

_TBC_


	4. Chapter 4

**Skirmish**

**Chapter 4**

**Disclaimer: **See chapter 1

**A/N: **Thanks again for all the feedback, both public and private. I really do appreciate it. And thanks to Kelli for her beta skills. There's some potty language to come, but considering what's going on, can you really blame anyone for a little cussing?

oooOOOooo

I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection - Sigmund Freud quotes

oooOOOooo

Caleb paced on the sidewalk outside the hospital as he listened to the voice on the other end of the phone. He rubbed the back of his head, frustrated.

"There's got to be some way to find out who hired her!" he insisted.

"That's what I'm telling you, dude, I don't think it is a _who_."

Caleb stopped. "What?"

"Exactly."

"Don't do that Abbott and Costello shit with me," Caleb growled.

"Sorry. I managed to find another hunter who is tracking her, too. Seems he has an ax to grind because she did some work for him in the past and double-crossed him or something – whatever, man. He has his own reasons for doing what he does The main thing is, he makes it his business to know where she is at all times and he's been cataloging her _employers_ for the last twenty or so years. He swears that this time she's working for a demon."

"A demon!" Caleb exclaimed, then ducked around the closest corner when he noticed people turn to look at him. "What did you say?"

"You heard me."

"Since when do demons hire people to do their bidding?"

"Who says they don't?"

"Okay, let's say this is true. You're saying the Winchesters have a _demon_ after them?"

"Like you and John have never thought that yourselves? Considering the way his wife died –"

Caleb raked his fingers through his hair. "Sure, that's one of the possibilities, but we've never been able to find proof –"

"Maybe you have now."

"Why wouldn't the demon just fuck with John on its own? Why would it hire some old woman to do it? And what does it want with Dean?"

"Why do demons do any of the things they do?"

"You're not making any sense!"

"Demons follow their own kind of logic. If it _was _a demon that put Mary Winchester on that ceiling, it had a reason. Now John, like all of us, is likely to make enemies on the other side. We exorcise the bastards back to Hell –"

"Wait, now you're saying this is some random demon that John exorcised?"

"I don't know what demon it is, but the old man I talked to is convinced it's a demon of some kind."

"Why does he think that?"

"He was watching her house when it came to her."

"Here?"

"No. She moved there just a few weeks ago. Before that she lived in Atlanta, Georgia. Before that it was Memphis, Los Angeles, Bismarck –"

"I get it. So he was watching?"

"Random stakeout. All of a sudden the car radio goes freaky, there's a lightning storm even though the sky was clear. His watch stopped. The power in her house blinks off and on –"

"Okay, classic demon shit."

"The next day she moves to the same happy little burg as the Winchesters."

"Shit."

"Yeah."

"But why bring her into it?"

"For fun? Who knows? We know demons do things for their own enjoyment – how do you know that some of the things that have come after John haven't been sent by the demon? He's had some back luck; even for a hunter."

"What if we grab this woman and make her talk? We'll find the demon, exorcise it and everything can go back to normal."

"That's a nice idea, but it sounds too simple to actually work."

"Yeah," Caleb sighed. "Thanks for this, man. You got anything else?"

"No, that's it. How many people do you have there? You need any more backup?"

"I think we're good, thanks. John is pretty much a one man army anyway; especially when his kids are involved."

"Good luck, Caleb. I hope the Winchesters are worth it."

Caleb didn't have to hope. He knew they were.

oooOOOooo

Gretchen wanted to be close to the job so she could see the affects of her work, but she decided it would be safer to keep her distance. Proximity wasn't particularly important with what she had the ability to do. She was surprised to find out she was actually enjoying volunteering at the hospital. She never had children, but liked being in the pediatric ward and that's where she arranged to be for her morning shift.

oooOOOooo

Caleb went back to pacing on the sidewalk as he waited for Aidan to answer his phone.

"Hello?"

"Where are you?"

"Caleb? I'm on my way to the hospital; is something wrong?"

"I left Sam in Dean's room about fifteen minutes ago and they were both fine. I just got off the phone with Joey; not sure you know him –"

"I've heard you talk about him. He found something out about Grandma?"

"You're not going to believe this," Caleb said and told him what he'd learned.

Aidan made no response.

"You there?"

"Jesus Christ."

"Not quite," Caleb said.

"You tell John yet?"

"No. I managed to talk him into going home for a little while. What did you get from your herb store?"

"Not enough if we're dealing with a demon."

"What do you think about grabbing the old woman and making her talk?"

"With or without John?"

"Woman or no, John may damn well kill her."

"We can't do anything without talking to him."

"You're right," Caleb reluctantly agreed. "Damnit."

"Let's give him a little longer in case he actually is managing to get some sleep. I'll see you soon."

When Caleb walked off the elevator a few minutes later, he saw Sam standing against the wall next to Dean's room.

"Sam?" Caleb rushed forward. He saw tears in his young friend's eyes. "What happened?"

"The doctor is with him. He started shaking; couldn't stop. He was trying to make _me _feel better and -"

Caleb looked toward the closed door and put an arm around Sam's shoulders. There was nothing he could do for Dean at the moment, but he could try to comfort Sam.

"Come on," he said gently. "Let's go sit in the waiting room."

Sam let himself be led to the couch where he could still watch Dean's door. There were a few other people in the room, but Caleb and Sam ignored them.

Caleb met the Winchesters through Pastor Jim when Sam was only three years old. John had devoted his life to hunting, but was still green and in need of guidance. Caleb's father was a hunter and he grew up in the lifestyle. Even though he was only twenty at the time, Jim thought his skills would help the father and his childhood experiences would help the sons. As almost always was the case, Jim was right and Caleb was a positive influence on all the members of the family.

"Sam –"

"Don't tell me he's going to be okay, because you don't know that. Caleb, we have to get him out of this hospital and away from that old woman."

"Sam, we haven't even seen her today –"

"I know you, Aidan and my dad know things you haven't told me, but I saw all that stuff at her house. And I saw what happened yesterday with that nurse. I'm not stupid, okay? I know you guys think she's behind this. And just because we haven't seen her – we hadn't seen her when Dean got sick in the car. Maybe she did that, too."

"You're too smart for your own good, Sam."

"Did you get in touch with anyone?"

"Look, Sam, I know this is your brother and I know you're smart and can handle a lot, but –"

"You have to talk to my dad first." He said dejectedly.

Caleb looked at him.

Sam shook his head. "It's fine."

"No, it's not." Caleb sighed. "You're right. You saw that stuff at her house and I know Aidan put you on the books to do research. We don't know exactly who she is, but we do think she's involved in all this. We don't know if she made Dean sick, but she's involved. The thing is, she's for hire and we don't know who holds the purse strings."

Sam stared at Dean's door. "We have to get him out of here."

"What?"

"He's not safe here."

"We don't know that. Besides, if we're right, it won't matter where he is."

"That's just great," Sam whispered.

They looked up when the doctor left Dean's room. He recognized Sam and walked across the hall.

"How's my brother?"

"He wants to see you."

"Can I –"

The doctor nodded. "Go ahead. He might already be asleep, though."

Sam's long strides took him across the hallway quickly. The doctor turned back to Caleb.

"Are you a relative?"

"No; family friend. Is Dean really doing all right?"

"He's stable. Do you know if his father is still in the hospital?"

"He went home for a little while. Is there a problem?"

The doctor looked uncertain. "Dean's fever spiked again and it caused a seizure."

"So what do you do now?"

"I've changed the treatment to broad spectrum antibiotics. I've also ordered a blood culture to test for Septicemia; that's basically a blood infection and happens sometimes after surgery."

"How long before you have the results?" Caleb asked, feeling sick himself.

"Not long. But he's already on the treatment I'd recommend for it so…"

"What could that, Sep, uh, the blood infection do?"

"There are any number of complications ranging from bleeding caused by the blood being unable to coagulate to renal failure and other conditions. Generally, it's easily treated with the wide spectrum antibiotics I've ordered so let's not jump ahead of ourselves, all right?" The doctor smiled encouragingly and excused himself.

Caleb nodded as the doctor walked away. "Thanks."

Sam wasn't prepared for how pale his brother looked. He stood just inside the door, watching him and even though Dean's eyes were closed, Sam could see the dark circles under them. Approaching the bed, Sam quietly lowered himself into the chair. He wanted a physical connection to his brother, but was afraid he would wake him so he just sat back in the chair and watched Dean's face carefully.

He glanced at the door when it opened a moment later and was grateful to see Caleb walk in.

"He's asleep," Sam whispered as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked at his friend, "Hey, Caleb?"

"Yeah?"

"I know I said I wasn't a kid, but I really want my dad."

"Me, too, Sam. I'll go call him."

oooOOOooo

Gretchen stood in front of the mirror in the ladies room with a smile on her face. She had just completed a quick ritual that she was particularly proud of because she'd basically invented it herself. She would find a reason to go back to the surgical ward before leaving the hospital at the end of her shift just to see the effects of her work. While she knew she had to stay away from the Winchesters, and she recognized her mistake of being overconfident, her work was much more fulfilling when she could see what she had caused.

She glanced at the door as it opened and smiled at the newcomer as she went about washing her hands. She headed back to the pediatric ward to help pass out lunches, content with what she had accomplished so far.

oooOOOooo

Aidan saw Caleb as he came from the waiting room. He noticed the worried expression and looked at him questioningly.

"I just called John. Who knew I even had change for the pay phone; it's been so long since I've used one." Caleb sounded distracted.

"What's wrong?" Aidan asked fearfully.

"We have to get that old woman. We have to protect Dean from her."

"Did something happen?"

Caleb nodded, suddenly feeling sick. He sat down on the couch and leaned forward. "Fuck, Aidan, this is bad."

"What happened, damnit?"

Caleb took a deep breath and steadied himself before relating to Aidan what the doctor said.

"John's on his way?"

"Yeah," Caleb nodded, his voice low.

"What was his reaction?"

"What do you think it was?"

Aidan shook his head. "I'd rather not think about it. Where's Sam?"

"With his brother. He's scared to death."

"Why don't you go get some coffee or something? Take a break. I'll stay with Sam."

"I'll be okay."

"Yeah, I know. But maybe you can get in touch with some of those other people you brought to town and get them started working on how to get the old woman and what to do with her."

Caleb nodded. "That's not a bad idea."

Aidan opened the door as quietly as he could and nodded at Sam as he walked into the room. Sam was almost as pale as his brother and Aidan wasn't sure he shouldn't be in the next bed. He set the small duffle bag he was carrying over his shoulder on the floor next to the bed and stood next to Sam.

"What did you bring?" Sam asked quietly.

"I have marjoram, angelica root, caraway seed, and other miscellaneous things for protection and health. How's he doing?"

"He's sleeping. Did you see Caleb? He was calling my dad."

"I saw him. John is on his way. He went outside where he can use his cell phone and call some of the people he brought to town with him."

"I told him we have to get Dean out of here," Sam said, his eyes on his brother's ashen face. "We have to get him somewhere we can use more powerful stuff; somewhere we can completely protect. Are those people going to go after the old lady?"

"He's going to have them make plans. Your dad will have the final say in what we do."

Sam nodded. Aidan opened the bag and made the limited preparations he could.

"Aidan?" Sam asked a few minutes later.

"Yeah, Sam?"

"Why is she going after Dean? Caleb told me she's for hire – you think Dean pissed someone off?"

"I don't know, Sam."

"Cuz it makes more sense that it was Dad, you know? And whoever it is, is using Dean against him."

"That makes sense," Aidan agreed, stopping his work and looking at Sam.

"But why Dean and not me?"

"What are you getting at, Sam? That your dad has a favorite son? You know that isn't true."

"Do I?"

"Sam –"

"Dad and I fight a lot; he doesn't like me questioning him –":

"He doesn't like anyone questioning him. We're all supposed to believe he's right all the time."

"He's right a lot. But I want to know why; I don't want to just follow orders."

Aidan kneeled down in front of Sam and held his arms. "Sam, don't start thinking crazy. Your father loves you every bit as much as he loves Dean. You may drive him crazy because you're so smart and you don't follow blindly, but he loves you. I don't know why she chose to go after Dean; maybe it was luck of the draw or maybe whoever she's working for told her to go after him for some reason. But if it was you in that bed instead of your brother, your dad would be every bit as pissed and worried as he is now."

Sam looked past Aidan to his brother. "We have to protect him."

"We're working on it, Sam. I promise."

John drove toward the hospital in just short of a blind rage. He decided they'd screwed around long enough and it was time for action. He needed someone he trusted to stay with the boys while he went after the old woman, but he'd need backup there, too. He didn't believe she'd be stupid enough not to tell him who she was working for, but if she didn't, he was prepared to kill her. No one hurt his boys and that included some little old lady.

He knew Dean could check himself out of the hospital even if it was against the doctor's recommendation and, since he wasn't a minor, the hospital would have no obligation to notify any of the government agencies that John expertly avoided all these years. That might be what they ended up doing, but he wasn't equipped to provide the medication Dean would need. He decided their best option would be just to grab the old woman and leave Dean under the care of the doctors.

When John got to Dean's room, he was asleep. Sam was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at his brother as if that would somehow protect him. Aidan was sitting in the chair John had spent the night in, leaning toward the bed.

He was angrier than he had been in a long time, but his heart melted when he saw relief flood over Sam's face as he turned to look at his father. He was shocked when his younger son practically leapt from the bed to hug him tightly. Sam was scared and reverting to behavior John hadn't seen in years. If the cause for it was different, he might actually welcome it. Like any parent, John was happy to see his children grow and become independent, but at the same time he knew every step Sam took was a step away from the protection he could provide. Sam knew a lot about the supernatural, John had made sure of that, but there was just as much that he didn't know. John hadn't had enough time to teach either of his sons everything he knew, but there were some lessons he was intentionally holding back.

"It's okay, Sammy," John said, returning the hug. He wasn't about to chastise him for his reaction. Maybe he would if the situation wasn't so dire, but considering the circumstances, John was willing to let Sam be the child that he really was. "Caleb told me everything. The medication is going to help your brother and we're going to take care of the old woman."

Sam reluctantly pulled away and John approached Dean. He moaned slightly and shifted in the bed, but he didn't wake up. John looked at the monitor and saw his fever was higher than it had been earlier.

"Where's Caleb?"

"Making phone calls. He brought some people into town with him and they're working on a way to grab Grandma and finding a safe place to keep her."

John nodded, laying a hand on Dean's shoulder. He whimpered softly and John leaned over to whisper into his ear. He was calmed immediately.

"She works a four hour shift that's just about over –"

"But we also know where she lives, John. We're not going to rush into something when we don't know for sure what we're up against," Aidan said.

John glanced at him, sure there was something he hadn't been told yet. He thought he was reading Aidan's expression correctly and put a hand on Sam's shoulder.

"Stay here, okay, Sammy? Aidan and I will be in the hall for a few minutes." He felt Sam stiffen. "It's okay, son. We'll be right outside. I'll be able to hear you if you call."

Sam nodded and John squeezed his shoulder before letting it go. Aidan followed him out of the room.

"What?" John demanded. 'What don't I know?"

"Joey, a friend of Caleb's, says the woman is working for a demon."

"_What_?" John exclaimed. He looked around, but they were alone.

Aidan went through what Caleb told him earlier. "We were going to call you, but even you need a couple of hours of sleep a day."

John was angry that he wasn't informed immediately. "A demon is behind my son being sick and you didn't think I needed to know?"

"John, I told you –"

"Since when do you make those decisions?"

"He didn't."

John whirled at the sound of Caleb's voice.

"I did," he continued. "I made the call that you needed to sleep and that's why you're just finding out now. And if Dean hadn't taken a turn, you'd still be asleep and you still wouldn't know. You can give me all he crap you want to, because we both know I can't keep you from doing it, but just know that I'd make the same decision again."

John stared at him, but didn't challenge him. Caleb had been a good teacher when John needed it, but he'd surpassed Caleb's skills and even taught him a few things. Besides, Caleb, like everyone else, knew John made the decisions where his sons were involved. He didn't ask for advice and he didn't welcome it. The only person who occasionally got away with it was Pastor Jim.

"So you got in touch with the people you brought into town?"

Caleb nodded. "Yeah. They're headed over to Grandma's house to clean it out. They're going to take out everything she could possibly use for control or protection. They'll bring in weapons in case we need them and things we can use to get her to talk."

"I'll get her to talk," John growled.

Aidan and Caleb exchanged a look. They'd both seen John's powers of persuasion and they knew he probably wouldn't hesitate to use them against the old woman, but neither one thought that physical violence was the right choice.

"How long do they need?"

"They'll be done by the time she gets home."

John nodded.

"I was thinking," Caleb began and John glared at him. "You might think about staying here and letting us handle this."

"And just why the hell would I do that?"

"Because you're exhausted and crazy with anger. Sam is terrified and –"

"I'm not letting her off the hook and I'm not going to hide here –"

"Hide? You'd be here protecting your sons."

"I have to handle this!"

"Why?" Caleb hissed, moving closer to John and staring into his eyes. "Let us be the soldiers and you be the father. Just this once –"

"Don't tell me I haven't been a father to my sons." John sounded dangerous.

"Stop it!"

The three men turned to look at Sam. He was standing just outside Dean's room, leaning against the closed door.

"Stop fighting. I can stay here with Dean and Dad can go with you two. If anyone can make her tell us who she's working for, it's Dad."

John looked away from his son. "And which one of you told him she's for hire?"

Caleb looked at him defiantly. "I did."

John only nodded. He turned back to Sam. "You're not staying here alone."

"Fine, whatever. But don't fight with Aidan and Caleb; it's wasting time that we don't have."

John looked at his son; irritated with him, but proud at the same time. Without another word, Sam went back into his brother's room.

_TBC_


	5. Chapter 5

**Skirmish**

**Chapter 5**

**Disclaimer: **See chapter 1

**A/N: **I meant to say this earlier, and it's probably apparent, but I'm not a medical expert. I researched enough to use some big words, but other than spelling them right, I don't guaranty any accuracy. Shocking, right? LOL. This is a bit of a transition chapter; there's a little of this and a little of that. And a lot of angst, of course. As always, thanks for reading... big things are about to happen.

oooOOOooo

Well i don't claim to know the meaning of a wife  
But i lost a lover who could've been my life before  
And i can't understand why you treat me so bad  
After all of the good times and smiles i had before  
I guess that was all before  
Yes that was all before...

Fade Away – Steve Carlson (from the album, Rollin' On)

oooOOOooo

She had another half hour left in her shift, but Gretchen was not looking forward to going home. Winchester and his friends knew where she lived and she had to wonder how much they'd already figured out. Eventually, they would try to talk to her and she doubted it would happen in a public place. She considered not going home, but her ego wouldn't let her hide. She had a lot of experience and knew things about her craft that very few did. She wasn't going to be chased away when she had so much to lose; and she knew she wouldn't be alone at her house tonight.

The person she was working for was powerful and she vacillated between awe of him and fear. Both were probably reasonable feelings, but her overwhelming motivation was his promises. She could do so much more with what he could give her and the thought of it was intoxicating. Besides, she only had another day before she was to move on. Dean would recover from his illness and her employer would take over.

Gretchen didn't know what he had in mind and she really didn't care. The Winchesters, like the other people she'd been hired to hurt, meant nothing to her. The guilt she'd begun to feel about how she lived her life already started to disappear with her sudden future prospects.

oooOOOooo

Caleb left the hospital to make some phone calls while Aidan headed to the cafeteria to get coffee for himself and John. He really just wanted to give the family some time alone, but coffee was rarely a bad idea.

John stood just inside his son's room. He didn't like the pallor of Dean's skin, or the way he seemed to melt into the bed. The dark circles were pronounced and there was a slight sheen of sweat on his face. He watched as Sam held his brother's hand, looking none too healthy himself. John knew he wasn't sick, but worried about Dean. Since Sam was born, they'd never spent a night apart and he'd certainly never seen his brother this ill.

Sam glanced at John when he stood next to him and laid a hand on his shoulder, but quickly turned his attention back to Dean. He was still sleeping.

"You were right, Sam. Out in the hallway? We should be concentrating on fixing this and I shouldn't be picking fights."

Apologies weren't common with John and this was about as close to he ever got to one. He understood Sam was probably angry with him, and he deserved to be. All John ever wanted was to protect his sons. From the moment they were born, and he held them for the first time, he wanted them to feel safe. He expected he and Mary would do that together, but she was taken from him and their young boys so he was left to do it alone, without her maternal tenderness. John was ill-equipped to handle two young boys on his own, especially considering the circumstances of his wife's death, but he did his best.

"Dad, you're the best one to deal with that old woman. You have to go."

Once again, John wished he could be in two places at once. John's friends were good, and the people Caleb brought wouldn't be with him if they weren't too, but John had a way with intimidation plus he had a vested interest. But Sam was scared and needed him here. Caleb was right; he had to be a father first.

"Caleb and Aidan can handle it."

Sam looked at him wide-eyed. "Really?"

John nodded. "Yeah."

He could almost feel the relief flow from his son and kneeled down beside him. "You've done great since Dean got sick, Sammy. I'm proud of you."

Sam blinked away the tears. "Thanks, Dad."

Aidan walked into the room; he handed John a cup of coffee and Sam a soda. He'd lost all track of time and had no idea when any of them had eaten last so he also brought assorted pastries from the cafeteria. Sam distractedly picked at one of them.

Caleb joined them a few minutes later.

"The guys are already at Grandma's house and they've pretty much cleaned all the herbs and other paraphernalia out of it. There's someone in the parking lot downstairs watching her car in case she goes somewhere else after her shift is over. I'm going to head over to the house. What's the plan here?"

"I'll come with you," Aidan said and they looked toward John.

"I think my place is here with my boys."

John was staring out of the window in Dean's room, but looked toward the door when he heard it open.

"Mr. Walcott, I'm Dr. Rowley. My specialty is infectious disease and I've taken over your son's case. Can I talk to you for a few minutes?"

John glanced at Sam, sitting on the edge of his brother's bed. "Sam can hear what you have to say. He needs to know anyway."

The doctor nodded. "The blood work came back. Dean has Septicemia; which is what Dr. Lowry suspected. We're going to move Dean to the ICU where he'll receive more specialized care. We'll continue with the antibiotics and fluids. We've already seen some improvement and there's no reason to think that won't continue. I know a lot of things have happened in a short amount of time – are there any questions I can answer for you?"

John cleared his throat. "Not right now."

"Okay. Someone will be here soon to move him and I'll check in on him in a little while."

Once the doctor was gone, John took a good look at Sam. He was shaking and his eyes were filled with tears. John put his hand on Sam's shoulder.

"Dean…" Sam whispered.

"He's going to be okay, Sammy."

"He's so sick."

"I know he is; but the doctor –"

"This doesn't have anything to do with doctors."

John turned Sam around and looked into his eyes. "We'll fix this."

Over the years, Sam had questioned his father's tactics not because he didn't trust him, but because he wanted to understand him. John had never failed to protect them and Sam knew he'd do his best now. If anyone could save Dean, it was his father.

oooOOOooo

Gretchen stopped by the nurses' station in the surgical ward when her shift was over and asked about Dean; she was pleased to find out that she had been successful and he had contracted a potentially dangerous infection. There was no sign of intruders when she returned home and the car that had been following her continued on as she pulled into her driveway. She set her purse down on the kitchen table and slipped out of her sweater as she walked to the back of the house.

"What the…." She stared at the empty bedroom. The work bench hadn't just been emptied of its contents, the entire bench was gone. She opened the closet where other supplies were stored and found it empty, too. As she turned toward the hallway, she felt strong arms around her and a hand was clamped over her mouth before she could scream.

Gretchen felt herself being forced into a chair; it was a wooden chair she didn't recognize and her wrists were tied to the arms.

"Don't scream." She heard a male voice behind her. "Not that any of your neighbors are close enough to hear you. We thought it would be nice to have a little chat with you, but none of us thought you'd be willing to participate. Now, if you answer our questions truthfully, you'll get out of here pretty much unharmed."

He walked around to her front and smiled. "My name is Joshua. Yours is Gretchen and you're a practioner for hire. I have more of a job description than a job title, and it's not really important at the moment. You'll become acquainted with some of my skills if you choose not to cooperate. Maybe you're wondering who these others I'm referring to might be. Don't worry, Gretchen, you and I aren't alone. And if you feel that I won't hurt an old woman, you may as well stop thinking that way right now."

"What do you want?" she asked quietly.

"Are you hard of hearing? I want some information."

"About what?" her voice was shaking, but her eyes were angry.

"For starters, I want to know who you're working for."

"I don't understand. I'm just a hospital volunteer."

"Oh please. I already told you that I know you're a practioner for hire. You're well-versed in Voodoo, Hoodoo, witchcraft and a few other lesser known disciplines. You've lived in Atlanta, Memphis, Bismarck, Albuquerque, Mobile…." he smiled at her. "You've worked for the good guys, the bad guys, the ones somewhere in the middle. You've helped just regular people get revenge. You really don't care who you work for, as long as the check clears."

"I prefer cash," she spat.

Joshua smiled at her. "Good to know. So who paid you this time?"

"Why should I tell you that?"

"Because you don't have any of your toys here to help you and you're at my mercy."

She grinned. "You think so?"

Joshua glanced toward the door as another of his partners walked in.

"Let me introduce you to Lars."

Gretchen paled a little at the 6'5" man who now stood just behind Joshua.

"He's got an interesting ability in addition to being psychic. He can block whatever mental mojo you're used to being able to throw at people. You can't control anyone here, Gretchen. But we can control you. And we will get our answers," he leaned close to her. "If you don't want to tell us, we'll get them from you in some other way. If we have to pluck them from your head, it could be very painful for you."

"You'd torture an old woman?"

Joshua smiled at her. "You're torturing a young man, his family and his friends. You don't get to dish out what you won't take yourself."

She began to look a little uncertain and Joshua turned away from her, satisfied he'd made his point.

oooOOOooo

Dean opened his eyes, acutely aware that his head was pounding. He remembered he was in the hospital and as he looked around, he saw his brother asleep in a chair close to the bed. His father was leaning against the wall, staring out of the window. Dean tried to speak, but no words came from his dry throat. He swallowed and tried again.

"Dad?"

John immediately turned toward the bed, not sure he'd actually heard anything. He saw Dean's eyes were open and he moved toward him.

"Hey there," John sat on the edge of the bed.

"Water?"

He reached for the pitcher on the table and poured water into the cup, then helped Dean to drink.

"I'll get some ice chips for you –"

Dean held onto his wrist. "Don't go."

"I'm right here, Dean."

"What's wrong with me?"

"You have an infection, but it's being treated and you're going to get better soon."

"Different room?"

"Yeah, you're in intensive care now."

"What day is it?"

"It's Friday afternoon."

"Only Friday?"

John nodded and Dean looked toward Sam, who was still asleep in the chair.

"Is he all right?"

"He's fine. How do you feel?"

"Worse every time I wake up."

"I'm sorry, Dean. I promise this is almost over."

"Old woman…." Dean was having trouble speaking.

"You need to rest, son. Aidan, Caleb and some others are taking care of the old woman."

"Sammy was at her house."

John nodded. "Yeah, he helped Aidan search it."

"Found picture of me."

"I know. Lie back, okay? Rest. I'll tell you what we know."

Dean shifted to get a little more comfortable and John told him what they'd found out so far.

"Make sure Sammy is safe," Dean said quietly when his father finished speaking.

"I'm fine, man." Sam sat down on the edge of the bed, opposite his father. "And you will be, too, as soon as Aidan and Caleb take care of the old woman."

"Stick close to Dad," Dean said as he drifted back to sleep.

oooOOOooo

While Joshua and Lars were working on Gretchen, Aidan and Caleb were salting the doors and windows of her house. Others laid out the protection devices of their choice and everyone had easy access to weapons. They were hunters and used to dangerous work, but this was personal for most of the group. They all either knew, or knew of, John Winchester and had a healthy respect for him. Whenever anyone hurt one hunter, there were always more behind him to help.

"How do you think it's going at the hospital?" Aidan asked Caleb when they finished with the salt.

"I don't know. John's probably about ready to crawl out of his skin. I can't believe he decided to stay there instead of be here."

"I think it's the right choice," Aidan said quietly. "Those kids –"

"I know," Caleb agreed quickly. "They need a father more than they need a drill sergeant, but that's the direction John has gone. It's been a long time since I've seen him this way with the boys."

"Me, too."

"I'm worried about Sam."

Aidan looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"The way he and John were butting heads the last time I was with them; there's trouble on the way unless this situation teaches John a lesson."

"John?" Aidan couldn't help but laugh. "Give him a couple of weeks after Dean is well and he'll be the same hardass he's always been."

Caleb leaned back against the wall. "You're probably right."

"He loves them, but –"

"He's got tunnel vision."

"Exactly."

"So what do you say, Gretchen?" Joshua asked from across the room. "Are you going to cooperate?"

"What's in it for me if I do?"

"Wow, you really haven't been paying attention, have you?"

Joshua wasn't someone John worked with very often, but they knew each other. He tended to be undisciplined and had less than honed morals. Even though most hunters operated on the fringe, Joshua operated on the fringe of the fringe. He didn't necessarily make a distinction between supernatural and human.

Pastor Jim was basically an unelected leader of the group; there was one in every generation of hunter, it seemed. He taught them that their job was to fight paranormal evil because they were the only ones who could and that there was a system in place for dealing with human evil. He was afraid that Joshua's teetering between the two and blurring the lines might get them all in trouble some day.

"Weren't you listening when I told you that we could just as easily pluck the information from your thoughts, but it would be painful for you?"

"And you care about that?"

"Personally? Not really. But some of the others here care."

Gretchen looked at him as if trying to decide if he was serious or not. The truth was, she didn't know who she was working for, but she didn't think Joshua would believe her. She wasn't particularly interested in having her thoughts invaded and he knew very well that if she fought it, and that it was natural instinct to fight, it would indeed be painful.

"What if I don't know?"

Joshua looked at her. "You don't know who you're working for?"

"Not exactly."

"What, exactly?"

Her eyes flicked to Lars.

"I don't know who he is."

"Okay. Let's start with what he wants. Did he want you to hurt Dean/"

"He wanted me to hurt John through Dean. He didn't care how I did it, but he wanted Dean to get sick. For every step forward, there was to be a step backward."

"What's this person got against John?"

"I didn't ask."

"So what's the point of hurting Dean?"

"He didn't tell me his entire plan, but I got the feeling it was to distract John."

"Any idea why?"

"No."

Joshua paced circles around her as he spoke and stood behind her as he thought about what to do next. He really didn't care about inflicting pain; in his book, she was just as evil as some of the monsters he fought. He realized his opinion was the minority, but Lars would read her thoughts if that was the only way to help the Winchesters.

Before Joshua could make up his mind, there was a clap of thunder outside and a flash of lightning The overhead light in the room brightened and then blew out. A radio turned on and forced loud static throughout the house. He heard the scuffling and the voices of the other hunters; they all knew what was happening.

Gretchen's chin fell to her chest as the hunters scrambled.

"What's going on?" someone demanded.

"We all know what it is. Get weapons!" Lars shouted as he rushed out to the hallway.

"Get me Winchester," Gretchen said quietly.

Joshua stared as she lifted her head to look at him. Her formerly blue eyes were now a bright gold and the smile on her face was more confident than before.

"Aw, shit," he muttered.

The smile broadened and the seemingly old woman pulled out of the chains holding her arms to the chair. "Get me Winchester or his boy is dead."

"Caleb! Aidan!"

They were in the room a moment later, each shocked at what they saw. Joshua was pinned to the wall and Gretchen was sprawled comfortably on the chair that only a moment ago held her prisoner.

"Get Winchester here. Now."

"Who are you?" Aidan asked.

"If I have to go to him on my own, I will. But if I do, his boy dies."

Aidan and Caleb exchanged a look.

"I'll get him," Aidan said.

oooOOOooo

The nurses in ICU were just as understanding as those in the surgical ward where Dean was before and they allowed his father and brother to sit with him as long as they didn't get in the way. But right after the shift change, the family was forced from the unit. John insisted that Sam come with him to find some food because neither one of them had eaten in hours. He didn't expect anyone to answer their phones at the house, but as he stood in the courtyard outside the cafeteria, John dialed Caleb's number just the same.

"John," he answered. "Aidan is on his way to the hospital."

"Why? What's going on?"

"We need you here."

"Caleb –"

"We salted the doors and windows; we took all the precautions."

"But?"

"It must be the demon she's working for –"

"What?" John was becoming exasperated.

"The old woman is possessed. The demon wants you."

"Fuck!" John grumbled. "God damnit!"

"I'm sorry John. I don't know how it happened."

"I'll come as soon as Aidan gets here to stay with Sammy," John said. "I need to call him. We're not in the same room; Dean's been moved to ICU."

"Why?"

"The blood work came back and it's the infection they suspected."

"John –"

"I have to call Aidan," he said and hit the end button. John looked at his son through the large window and as he dialed Aidan's number, wondering what he was going to tell Sam.

"Hey, I'm on my way there –"

"I just talked to Caleb and he told me what was going on. I need you to stay with Sam."

"Whatever you want, John. I'll be there in maybe ten minutes."

"We're in the cafeteria. Dean's been moved to ICU and they made us leave for a little while."

"The ICU? He's worse?"

"No, but he's not better."

"I'll be right there."

_TBC_


	6. Chapter 6

**Skirmish**

**Chapter 6**

**Disclaimer: **See chapter 1

**A/N: **This was going to be the last chapter, but the story decided it wasn't quite finished. I'm powerless to resist. Thanks to Kelli for the beta and to everyone who has spent their time reading and leaving feedback; all is appreciated.

oooOOOooo

Sweet child of innocence

Living in the present tense

Father Time will take his toll

Rack your body and steal your soul

What became of all the years

Are you drowning in your tears

Who will catch you when you fall

Who will hear you when you call

Kansas, _Child of Innocence_ (originally on the 1975 album, Masque)

oooOOOooo

Sam saw his father's expression when John joined him at the table.

"What's wrong?"

"Aidan is on his way here and I have to go to Gretchen's house."

"Why?" he was scared.

"Something happened and I need to be there."

"Dad –"

"Aidan is going to stay with you –"

"Tell me what happened!"

"The old woman is possessed," John said quietly, his hand on Sam's wrist. "Caleb says he doesn't know how it happened because they took all the precautions."

"Why do you have to go?"

"The thing possessing her wants to see me. You'll be okay with Aidan."

Sam felt cold; he didn't know what to say.

"I'm going to take care of this, son, and your brother will get better."

The boy nodded. "Go now, then. I'll wait here for Aidan."

John looked at him. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'll be all right."

"He's about ten minutes out and he knows to find you here."

"Yes, sir."

John squeezed Sam's wrist as he stood.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Be careful."

John smiled at him. "I will."

oooOOOooo

Caleb rushed out of the house when he heard the Impala's engine. John was just getting out of the car when he saw his friend.

"What the hell is going on?" John demanded.

"The old woman's eyes have turned gold; I've never seen a demon do that. Normally they're jet black."

"Must be one powerful demon to get through the defenses."

"Unless it was already here."

John looked at him. "Aidan didn't look?"

"Of course he did," Caleb sounded a little offended. "But it could have already been in the old woman."

"Doesn't matter now. Where is it?"

"Back bedroom. It's chosen to stay in there for whatever reason. It's not talking to any of us since asking for you – and saying that if we tried to get rid of it, that Dean wouldn't recover."

John gritted his teeth and barely nodded a greeting to the other hunters he passed on his way to the bedroom. Joshua was still in there, keeping an eye on the demon.

"Hey, John."

"Josh."

The possessed woman turned from the window and smiled at John; gold eyes almost glowing.

"Well! John Winchester. We meet again."

"Again?"

Its smile broadened. "I was at your house in Lawrence."

Caleb and Joshua quickly restrained John before he could move.

"You son of a bitch!" John bellowed as he struggled against his friends' hands. "You killed my wife?"

"Well, yes, I'm afraid I had to."

"_Why?_"

The Gretchen-thing shrugged. "She tried to stop me."

John stopped struggling. "Stop you from doing what? What do you want with my boy?"

"Which one?" the demon looked genuinely confused.

"The one you've put in the hospital!"

"Oh," Gretchen waved away the question. "Him. Nothing. He'll be fine."

John felt sick. "What do you want with Sammy, then?"

"Sammy. Now _he_ is of great interest to me," the demon said and began to pace. "He's got a future ahead of him, that boy."

"What are you talking about?"

"He's going to be mine, John. He was meant to be mine and I'll have him. That's what that visit to your house was all about, after all. And if your pretty wife hadn't disturbed me, she would still be alive today," the demon mused. "It's interesting how many times the mothers of my children wake up when I'm there. It's like they can sense me or something."

'What the fuck do you mean? Your children? Sam is _my_ son."

"Language, John! In some respects, yes, Sam is your son."

John tried to charge the demon again, but his friends held him back.

"Pay heed to these men, John. They're keeping you from doing something stupid."

"How did you get in here?" John demanded.

"Ha! Do you think your little precautions are going to work on me?" The possessed woman smiled. "Oh, that's right. You've never encountered anything like me before, have you? All those lesser demons you've banished back to hell don't have an ounce of the power I do! Now, I'm sure you want to know why I wanted to see you."

John glared silently.

"I thought it was time for a face-to-face meeting and I merely wanted to let you know that I'm around. It's not time for the next move yet, but I'm watching. I can do what I want, when I want. I made your older boy sick and I can do it again. Any time I want. I could have done it without this old crow's help, but what would be the fun in that?"

"Is that what this is about? Fun?"

"Oh, no. It's very serious business. But you know what they say about all work and no play. And, really, Gretchen has done some quite creative things in her time. I think I'll take her with me and put her to work where she can _really_ use her talents."

"Listen to me, you son of a bitch! You've already done enough damage to my family. Don't even _think_ about doing anything to Sam. And you'd damn well better let Dean recover –"

"Or what?" the demon demanded as it suddenly stood toe-to-toe with John. "You have no idea what I can do and here you are, issuing threats? I know you're not that stupid."

Still being restrained by Caleb and Joshua, John could only stare at the creature before him.

"Good boy," the Gretchen-thing patted his cheek, then moved away from him. "Sam is special, John. Even I don't know what's going to manifest, but he's got seeds of power within him and when it's time, you won't be able to stop him from coming to me…like he's meant to ."

The demon lifted a hand which threw the three men into the wall behind them. The door to the bedroom slammed shut and though the hunters on the other side tried to open it, they couldn't.

"I'm going to walk out of here now and none of you will be able to do anything to stop me. You can't do anything, ever, to stop me from doing anything I want to do."

The demon lifted the same hand it used to pin the hunters and blew a hole in the back wall of the bedroom. It paused on the outside and turned to look at John. "He'll come to me, John. When it's time, he'll come."

As soon as the demon was gone, the men fell to the floor and the bedroom door opened. They scrambled through the hole in the wall, but the monster was nowhere to be found and it had apparently taken the old woman's body with it.

John stood in the kitchen, desperately trying to control his shaking. The other hunters were still outside, and in other parts of the house, searching for anything that might help them. He'd been outside for a few minutes, but feeling suddenly ill, he went off on his own and threw up. This was what he'd been afraid of for a long time. He hadn't been able to piece together much, but every bit of information he'd managed to find pointed to Mary being killed by a demon. He'd suspected since she died not only in Sam's nursery, but over his crib, that he was at the root of everything. There were still more questions than answers, but there was no way he was going to let anything take his son. And there was no way Sam would willingly go off with the demon; it was incomprehensible.

Caleb walked up behind him, intentionally making as much noise as possible, and put a hand on his shoulder. He wished he had a shot of whiskey for his friend. "You okay?"

"No."

"Why don't you let me take you back to the hospital?"

"What the hell am I supposed to tell them? What am I supposed to do?"

"The boys are still so young; especially Sam. Maybe this is one of those times when you should keep what you know to yourself."

"That isn't what you normally tell me."

"Yeah, I know," Caleb said and rubbed the back of his neck. "But I don't normally come face to face with a demon who says Sam belongs to it."

"He's _my_ son."

"Yeah, he is. And he's at the hospital with his sick brother. He needs his father, John. We'll handle things here; though I doubt we'll find anything useful."

"You're probably right about that," John sighed. "You'll thank everyone for me and –"

Caleb held up a hand. "Go, John. I'm all over it. You okay to drive?"

"Yeah."

Caleb walked out to the Impala with John and leaned into the open driver's side window. "You sure you're okay to drive?"

"I can handle it. I need you to take care of things here."

"I'll see you soon," Caleb said and tapped the door as John turned the key in the ignition.

oooOOOooo

"Hey, kid." Aidan sat across from Sam at a table near the cafeteria entrance.

Sam only nodded and continued to stare into his cola.

"Sam?"

"What's happening at the house?" he whispered.

"Don't worry about your dad, Sam."

"A demon knows him by name and apparently sent someone to hurt my brother and I'm not supposed to worry?"

"Your dad is with some of the best hunters Caleb knows –"

"It's a demon, man." Sam still hadn't looked up.

Aidan had no idea what to say to his young friend. Sometimes the best course of action was to do nothing, so he decided to wait for Sam.

"You know before? When we were talking about why it went after Dean instead of me?" Sam asked a few minutes later.

"Yeah?"

"I wasn't afraid it was because Dean was Dad's favorite."

"What was it then?"

"My mom was killed over my crib. She died because of me," Sam said quietly. "And I don't want Dean to die because of me, too."

"Your mom didn't die because of you and Dean's going to be fine."

"You don't know that."

Aidan leaned forward. "Your brother is going to be fine, Sam. And your dad is going to take care of things; like he always does."

"One of these days he's going to run into something he can't beat." Sam sounded dejected.

Aidan watched him for a moment. "How about we go see how Dean is doing?"

Sam glanced at the monitor when he and Aidan walked back into Dean's room. He was glad to see his brother's temperature was lower and he sat on the edge of the bed, hoping Dean would wake up and give him crap for holding his hand. Aidan sat in a chair away from the bed, watching Sam care for his brother. His mind wandered and he didn't know how much time passed when he heard Dean's voice, quietly saying his brother's name.

"Hey, Dean," Sam smiled.

Dean swallowed hard, finding it hard to take and Aidan left, telling the brothers he'd be back with ice chips.

"Where's Dad?" Dean finally managed.

"He'll be back soon. How are you feeling?"

"A little better, I think. Is it still Friday?"

"Yeah."

"How the hell much longer is this day going to last?"

"It's just about over, kid," John said.

The brothers' eyes moved to the doorway where their father was standing with a pitcher of ice. He walked into the room and poured some of it into a cup that he handed to his older son.

"Thanks."

"Everything okay?" Sam asked, looking at his father.

John nodded at him, then looked back to Dean. "You look like you're feeling better."

"I think so," Dean said through the ice chips. "What did Sammy mean, is everything okay?"

"I just had something to take care of. Don't worry about it now."

Dean lay back against the pillow.

"You're going to be okay now, Dean. I promise."

The older boy looked into his father's eyes. "You got the old woman?"

"I didn't do it personally, but she's gone."

"Forever?"

John looked at his son curiously. His tone was a mixture of fear, strength and something the father didn't recognize. The last thing he wanted right now was for Dean to be afraid. Not on top of everything else; not when he was finally going to have a fighting chance to recover.

"I hope so. I think so. But you're safe," John saw Dean's eyes flash toward his brother. "Sam's safe, too."

"When do you think the doctor will let me go home?"

"Go home? Dude, you're _sick_," Sam said. "You're not going anywhere until your fever breaks and the infection is gone."

"Gee, thanks, Dr. Winchester."

John felt tears in his eyes when Dean smiled at his brother. It was hard to believe everything that had happened in just over twenty-four hours; it was just good to see his boy smile.

Although the ICU nurses had been understanding since Dean was transferred into their care, the head nurse insisted he be left alone over night. John didn't want to leave him, but Dean could see how tired his father and brother looked and convinced them to go home. After saying their goodnights, Aidan drove the family home and on the way, John told Sam just enough about what had happened at Gretchen's house to assuage his curiosity.

Caleb was nursing a beer in the living room when Aidan and the Winchesters arrived.

"How's Dean?" he asked, clearly not on his first drink.

"He's doing a lot better," John told him. He put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Why don't you get cleaned up and ready for bed?"

"Yes, sir." Sam had been sent out of the room enough times in his life to know when it was time for the adults to talk. He suspected there was more to what happened with the old woman than his father was willing to tell him, but he wasn't sure he wanted to know what it was.

Ever since he found out Dean was in the hospital, he'd been experiencing something he couldn't explain. It was like he could almost see something that wasn't really there and that feeling scared him. He already felt separate from the rest of the world and he didn't want some paranormal ability to widen the gap. He desperately hoped it was just worry for his brother that was causing the feeling.

"How much have you had there, slick?" John asked.

"There's more in the refrigerator if that's what you're asking."

"It wasn't, but good to know." John sat next to him on the worn couch.

"Dean okay?" Caleb took another long swallow from the bottle.

"His fever is down and he was joking with Sammy before we left."

Caleb nodded. "What the fuck, man? I mean, I know you and I have talked about the thing that took your wife being a demon, but what the fuck?"

John rested his head on the back of the couch. "I don't want Sam to know what it said about him. Ever."

Aidan walked into the living room and handed John a beer. "What did it say?"

John took a deep breath and recited most of what the demon had said. When he was done, Aidan could only stare.

"He's _my_ son," John said to no one in particular. "There's so much of Mary in him and I'll die before I let anything happen to him. That bastard thinks he can take Sammy or that he'll willingly go. That's not going to happen."

"Of course it isn't, John," Aidan agreed. "We'll just have to find a way to send it back to Hell."

John shook his head. "I want to find a way to kill it. Forever. We send it back to Hell, it will only crawl out again. I don't want the boys to live with this threat over their heads forever. I have to find a way to kill it."

"What are you going to tell Dean?" Aidan asked.

"I don't know. Nothing until he's better."

Aidan glanced at Caleb; his head was resting on the back of the couch and his eyes were closed. "You might want to grab that bottle from Sleeping Beauty over there."

John took the bottle and drained the contents before going back to his own. "I've never seen anything like this demon. It's more powerful than anything I've even heard of before."

"We'll figure it out, John. We always do."

"After Mary died and I got my bearings back, I knew she'd been killed by something powerful. And everything I've learned since then pointed to it being a demon. I knew somehow that Sammy wasn't safe from it; his mother died over his crib, after all. Dean naturally took care of him; he'd wanted to be the best big brother ever," John smiled to himself. The beer and the exhaustion were taking their toll. "Even before Sammy was born, Dean talked about being the best big brother there ever was. After Mary died, I'd sometimes find Dean sleeping in his brother's crib, his little arm around the baby. He's always taken such good care of Sammy –"

Aidan watched as John drank the last of his beer. He didn't know what to say, but he knew it didn't matter because John wouldn't hear him anyway.

"He went to it on his own, but I made it his job. Maybe that was wrong, but Sammy needed someone –" John let the empty bottle fall to the floor.

"Come on, man. Let's get you to bed." Aidan stood and pulled John to his feet. He was surprised that John let himself be led to his bedroom and even more surprised when he let Aidan put him to bed. He pulled off John's shoes and pulled a blanket over him; the older man was already snoring lightly. "Sleep well, Johnny."

Sam was standing in his doorway when Aidan left John's room.

"My dad all right?"

"Yeah, he's just exhausted. I think the adrenaline finally wore off."

"You're staying, right?"

"Of course I am."

Sam nodded.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Caleb downstairs?"

"He is. I'm gonna check on him then salt the doors and windows –"

"I'll help."

Aidan nodded.

Once Caleb was settled on the couch and the salt laid out, Sam and Aidan headed to the room the brothers shared. Aidan saw Sam look toward his father's door.

"Why don't you go check on him?" Aidan suggested, suspecting that Sam needed to be near his father. "I'm sure I'll be asleep before my head hits the pillow so I'll see you in the morning."

"Thanks for everything," Sam said. It didn't come entirely as a shock when he hugged Aidan tightly.

"I'm always here for you, kid. You know that, right?"

Sam nodded. Aidan squeezed his shoulder before disappearing into the bedroom. Sam hesitated a moment, but then headed toward his father's room. He thought he would only sit on the side of the bed for a moment and make sure he was all right, but without hesitating he crawled in next to his father.

"Goodnight, Sammy," John muttered.

"'Night, Dad."

oooOOOooo

Sam slipped out of bed early the next morning before anyone else was awake. He put a pot of coffee on before settling on the back porch with one of his textbooks and it was about half an hour later that he heard someone open the door behind him. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see John walking past him to settle in the next chair.

"Did you sleep all right?" John asked, after a sip of coffee.

"Yes, sir. I thought you'd sleep later."

"So did I, actually. Thanks for making coffee."

"You're welcome," Sam said and set the book aside.

"You don't have to stop reading on my account."

"It's okay. When can we go to the hospital?"

"Visiting hours don't start for a while. Maybe we should give the staff a little break today."

Sam nodded and they sat in a somewhat comfortable silence for a few minutes.

"Are you going to tell Dean the old woman was possessed?"

John looked at his son over the coffee cup. "I suppose so."

"Did you exorcise the demon?"

"No."

"Why not? Where is the old woman?"

John set the cup on the porch next to his feet and leaned forward. "I don't know, exactly, but she's gone. The demon got away – it said if we tried to do anything to it, Dean wouldn't survive."

"Why did it want to hurt Dean?"

"To get to me."

"And it can come back?"

"Sammy, they can always come back. I don't know of any way to permanently kill a demon. But I'm going to start looking for one because with this one, it's personal and I don't want you or your brother caught in the crossfire again."

Sam nodded thoughtfully. "Are you telling me the truth?"

"What do you mean?"

"The demon; it didn't want me?"

"Why would you ask that?" John asked carefully.

Sam shrugged, not looking his father in the eye.

"Sammy?"

Still, Sam said nothing.

John moved closer to his son. "Listen to me. The demon wanted to get to me; to let me know it was around because I've made it mad. But if it had wanted you, it would have come after you. I want you to feel safe, Sammy. Your brother and I have always tried very hard to make sure you knew you were protected. I don't want that to change now."

"It's not that, Dad. I know you and Dean are always there. And Aidan, Caleb, Pastor Jim..."

"So what is it, then?"

Sam looked at his father. He'd decided not to tell him what he was really thinking; that this whole thing had something to do with his mother. He didn't think he was ready to know that yet, and wasn't sure that his father would be able to tell him the truth anyway. The last thing Sam wanted to do right now was force him into a corner. As far as he knew, his dad had never outright lied to him and he didn't want that to change over something he wasn't sure he could deal with yet.

"It's nothing," Sam said shaking his head. "It's just been a long couple of days."

John nodded. Sam didn't know if he believed him or not, but he was just grateful his father wasn't pushing it. They slipped into a comfortable silence that was interrupted a few minutes later by the sound of Caleb throwing up inside the house.

"He damn well better have made it to the bathroom," John grumbled as he walked inside.

_TBC_


	7. Chapter 7

**Skirmish**

**Chapter 7**

**Disclaimer: **See chapter 1

**A/N: **This hasn't been my best week, and the story might not have ended the way I originally planned… actually it didn't end the second or third way I planned, either and I hope it doesn't disappoint. I haven't been able to respond to reviews in quite a while, but I promise to get back to everyone this weekend. I appreciate each and everyone who reads my dabblings.

oooOOOooo

Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more - Louis L'Amour

oooOOOooo

When Sam and John got to the hospital, they found Dean sitting in one of the chairs with a tray of food on the table within reach. He was reading an article in one of the car magazines Sam had brought to him before and had traded the hospital gown for sweats and a t-shirt.

"Dean! You're out of bed!" Sam said excitedly as he rushed to his side.

"Hey, Sammy," Dean grinned, seeming a little embarrassed as Sam hugged him.

"Good to see you up, son. Has the doctor been in this morning?" John noticed the monitor was disconnected.

"Yes, sir. He said I can probably leave tomorrow. The fever is completely gone."

"That's great!" Sam smiled.

"Have you eaten anything?"

"A little bit. I'm still not really hungry."

Sam sat on the edge of the bed, facing his brother. "You look a lot better."

"Thanks, Sammy. I feel a lot better." He looked toward his father. "So what you said last night – the old woman?"

"What about her?"

"What did she have to do with me getting sick?"

John took a deep breath and sat next to Sam. He explained about the old woman being engaged by and later possessed by a demon who was holding a grudge against him. He was undecided about telling him how Sam fit into it, but even if he wanted to, it would obviously have to be when the younger boy wasn't around.

"I'm sorry, Dean."

"What for?" he sounded confused.

"It was my fault that you got sick," John said. "The demon wanted to hurt me and it did that by hurting you –"

"It's okay, Dad," Dean assured him. "It's a dangerous job."

John glanced at his younger son.

"Yeah, it is. But until it's your job, it shouldn't hurt you," he said and put a hand on Sam's leg. "So are you allowed out of this room yet?"

"Uh, yeah, the doctor said I could go for short walks as long as I stay in the ICU. I just have to drag my trusty IV along."

"How about we see what's down the hall?"

Dean's doctor came into his room later to discuss the results of the most recent blood test and found him playing cards with his family. They were glad to hear there was no sign of the infection and that he could be released as early as that afternoon. The doctor didn't hesitate to express his shock at the rapid recovery, but none of the Winchesters found it that miraculous considering the circumstances of the illness, but they were thankful nonetheless.

They listened to the doctor's discharge orders and John knew Sam would give Dean no choice but to obey them. When they got home, Sam set his brother up on the living room couch making sure everything he might need was within easy reach. John knew better than to get in the middle of them and stayed in the background, watching. He was proud of the way Sam was taking care of Dean; he'd seen the opposite for so many years and it was nice to see Dean would accept help from his brother.

Caleb and Aidan were planning to stick around for a few more days, but decided to give the family some time to themselves and left the house to pick up provisions. Grocery shopping was never high on John's list of things to do, but it hadn't happened at all in several days. When they got back to the house later, they were surprised to find Pastor Jim had arrived.

"Did we know you were coming?" Aidan smiled after a warm greeting. Having grown up in Jim's church orphanage, under his personal supervision, the man felt like family.

"No, I just decided to get in the car. I didn't want to be the only one not fussing over Dean."

"None of us can get close to him with Sammy around," Caleb laughed. He glanced into the living room. "Where are they, anyway?"

John nodded toward the back yard as he started to unpack the grocery bags. "Outside. It looks like you plan to barbeque tonight."

"It's warm enough and you have that grill right outside," Aidan said. "I was going to try my hand at Jim's secret sauce recipe, but with the man himself here –"

Jim smiled. "I'd be happy to oblige, though I'm not sure how you were going to make my secret recipe since it's a secret."

"I have my ways," Aidan joked. "But I get the feeling you're here for something other than Dean."

"I also came because we have some things to discuss," Jim said.

"No, we don't," John countered. "This is my decision."

Caleb and Aidan exchanged a look. A disagreement between John and Jim was rarely a good thing. Despite Jim's status as unofficial leader and having taken John under his wing to make sure he got the training necessary to do the job he felt compelled to do after Mary's death, John tended to go his own way. He was grateful to Jim, not only for the training, but for providing a safe place for him and his sons to live intermittently throughout the years, but didn't feel that gave the man a right to make decisions for him.

"Don't be stubborn, John," the minister warned.

"Jim, you're family, but they're _my_ children. The demon is after my son and I'll be damned if I'm going to let anyone else decide what I should do about it."

"What are you two fighting about exactly?" Caleb asked.

"Nothing," John grumbled.

Jim glanced at him. "What to tell the boys about the demon."

John slammed a hand on the counter. "There's nothing to discuss! They know all they need to know."

"You can't let them go through life not knowing that a demon has claimed Sam for its own," Jim said patiently.

"And just what are they supposed to do with that knowledge if I do tell them?" John challenged.

"Protect themselves?"

John shook his head. "_I_ don't know how to protect them from this, so how can they protect themselves? I don't want Sammy to look over his shoulder all the time wondering when the demon is going to come for him or what will compel him to go on his own. No! There's no reason to scare them until I know what will help them."

"Jim, I agree with John. What would be the point of telling Sammy there's a demon after him if we can't tell him what to do about it?" Caleb pulled a beer from the refrigerator. "And you know how Dean is with Sammy; he's a mother hen most of the time. This will send him into a tailspin."

Sighing, Jim took a bowl from a cabinet and began mixing the ingredients for his special barbeque sauce. He had no more information than the rest of the men in the room, but he always preferred full disclosure to secrecy. Even if they couldn't give the boys direct instruction on how to protect themselves from a particular danger, Jim felt that just knowing the peril existed was beneficial.

After making the sauce, Jim put Aidan in charge of the remaining preparations and he went to find John. He was in his bedroom, going through some books Jim had brought for him.

"John? Can we talk?"

"If you want to talk about the demon, there's not a whole lot left to say." John didn't look up from the book on his lap, but his tone was friendly.

Jim sat next to him on the bed. "You're scared."

John sighed and rubbed his face. "Do you blame me?"

"No, of course not."

"I know it doesn't seem like it sometimes, but I think about the boys all the time. I want them safe – I've always felt there was something different about Sammy and that's why I needed Dean's help to take care of him. It wasn't just because I was gone so often; I had to make sure Sammy trusted his brother and felt safe with him."

"That would have happened no matter what because they're brothers."

"Maybe," John mused. "But I don't like to leave things to chance."

"Interesting. John, I don't know what power Sammy might have. I don't know what the demon really wants. But what I do know is that this is a war. What the demon did with Dean? That was just a skirmish; one battle. And that's exactly why you should tell the boys it's out there. Don't leave it to chance."

"Jim –"

The minister held up his hands. "At least think some more about it."

"I will. But you have to agree to respect my decision, whatever it is."

oooOOOooo

"I still don't understand," Gretchen said. The room she was in looked empty of other people, but she knew she was not alone. She also knew she wasn't really in a room. She didn't quite understand where she was, but she was pretty sure she was dead. "There was no point."

"Of course there was a point."

Gretchen turned away from what looked like a mirror; she'd been watching the Winchesters through it and suspected she could watch just about anyone she wanted to if she knew how to make it work.

"But he's out of the hospital. He's home. Why did I do all that work just for him to get well and go home?"

"I explained it before you got started. I wanted John distracted, but I also wanted him to get a taste of what I can do."

"But you didn't do it. I did."

"Is that what you think? We'll get back to that. Besides, John even thinks about that? No. He was _distracted _and now all he's thinking about is that I can get to his kids anytime, anywhere."

"It seems cruel hurting his son that way."

"But you said it yourself. Dean is fine and he's at home."

"And John knows you killed his wife and that his younger son has some kind of power."

"Exactly."

"And you couldn't tell him that without hiring me to make Dean sick?"

"Sure I could have, but I wouldn't have had as much fun and it wouldn't have made the same impact."

"So what happens now?"

"I have other things to do, other things to put into place, but I'll keep an eye on John and his boys. When it's the right time, either Sam comes to me or I go to him."

"How do you know he has power?"

"Some children are born with it; I can sense it in them and I'm drawn to them. Other times, I give it to them. The young Winchester was born with it."

"But you don't know what the power is?"

"Not always. Sam's ability is very powerful, but not manifesting yet. At least not very much."

"So what are your plans for me? More distraction of John Winchester?"

"No. I have a lot of things going on; a lot of battles to fight. You'll be put where your abilities will do the most good. And you'll discover you just might have a few new ones."

"And you'll just watch Winchester?"

"I'll poke at him every now and then just so he doesn't forget I'm around."

Gretchen sat down on a chair she didn't realize had been in the room.

"In case you haven't figured it out yet, you can put whatever you want here. Just think about it and it's there."

"Am I dead?"

"Pretty much."

"None of this makes any sense."

"It doesn't have to. Just be glad I got to you before someone else did or you wouldn't be nearly as comfortable right now, nor would you be treated as well as you will be here."

"I never asked; how did you find me?"

"I've known about you for a long time."

"But how?" she asked, a little afraid of the answer.

"I visited you in your crib."

oooOOOooo

Sam watched his brother as he lowered himself into bed that night. It was still early and he suspected Dean's escape to the bedroom was, in part, to get away from everyone's fussing. He knew his brother was probably getting tired of the constant attention, but he couldn't seem to help himself. He'd never seen his brother as vulnerable as he had over the last few days and it bothered him more than he cared to admit.

Having Jim, Aidan and Caleb in the house made Sam think of circling the wagons for protection and he couldn't help but wonder if their vigilance had more to do with that than Dean's illness.

"Do you need anything?" Sam asked.

Dean glanced at him. "No, thanks."

"Getting tired of everyone asking you that question?"

"Yeah, really tired of it. I'm okay and I can do things for myself."

Sam sat on the edge of his own bed. "Hey, Dean?"

"What?" He asked, his eyes closed and he was lying on his back.

"Do you think there's something Dad hasn't told us about all this?"

"Probably. He doesn't tell us everything; you know that."

"I know," Sam fidgeted with the edge of his blanket. "But…."

Dean looked at him. "But what?"

"I don't know. I just have this feeling."

"What feeling?"

"That this is about Mom."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked. He suddenly had a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Sam shrugged. "I can't explain it. I just think that this demon had something to do with Mom dying; maybe it even killed her."

"Even if you're right, so what? I mean, what does it mean?"

"It isn't finished; that whatever happened with Mom was just the beginning. And I think her dying over my crib –"

"Stop it, Sammy. What happened with Mom wasn't your fault, no matter what. You were just a baby. And you knew it wasn't over; not with Dad out there looking for it."

"Dad knows more than he's told us –"

"Sammy, Dad _always_ knows more than he tells us. He tells us what we need to know when we need to know it."

"Why doesn't that bother you?"

"Because I trust him."

"I trust him, too, but I want to know things and understand them. I just think it's important."

"He's in charge, Sammy." Dean closed his eyes again and Sam took that as the end of the conversation.

Dean's condition continued to improve over the next few days and he was even ready to start physical training again by the end of the next week. There were more conversations between the adults about what to tell the boys; Caleb still agreed with John that there was no point in telling them anything if there weren't complete answers. Aidan, like Jim, saw the benefit of being honest with them about what they already knew. In the end, it was John's decision and he refused to tell them anything more. They knew the old woman had been possessed by a demon holding a grudge and he didn't see what good it would do to tell them any more. He began researching and making contact with anyone who might be able to help find a way to permanently kill the yellow-eyed demon that he now knew had killed his wife.

After a week, Aidan and Caleb left to take care of a haunting in the next state and Jim returned to his church a few days after that. Things at the Winchester home went back to normal, and once John was convinced that Dean's recovery was complete, he started to take him out on jobs again. Sam, as usual, spent most of his time on these jaunts in the motel room or waiting for them in the car. It was the rare situation where John allowed him to fully participate.

Sam and John's relationship started to deteriorate over the next few months. The young man began to resent his father's secrecy and no amount of encouragement from Dean would make him change his mind. He started to question John's every move and it was no longer entirely because he wanted to understand him. John was gone for longer periods of time without telling his sons what he was doing and that further exacerbated the situation with Sam. Dean accepted his father's every move without question, but it got to the point where Sam refused to give him any benefit of the doubt.

The young man had his own ideas about how he wanted to live and that life didn't include hunting. He wanted to go to college and he wanted something more than what he'd grown up with. That didn't mean he still didn't love his father, but he wanted what almost every other teenager did – independence and the freedom to decide his own future.

Over the next couple of years, John made very little progress in his search for something to kill the demon, but at least it seemed to be leaving them alone.

"It's bad," John said on the phone to Jim just after Sam's seventeenth birthday. "He's never been like Dean, but the last couple of years – Jim, he questions everything. And it's not in a curious kind of way. It's angry and belligerent."

"And what is your reaction to the questions?"

"He needs to follow orders."

"John –"

"You know why that's important. You know what's out there –"

"But he doesn't, John. If he understood your motivation –"

"I still don't have any answers for him."

"It's not about answers, John, not really. Sammy will find his own way, his own answers. Right now, it's about trust."

"Trust? I'm his father!"

"Listen to me. If you aren't careful, you're going to push that boy away. For good. I know you don't want that."

"Of course I don't. But I can't just let him do whatever he wants – I have to protect him from the demon."

"You can't stop him from doing what he wants forever. For one thing, he'll be eighteen soon and won't need your permission to strike out on his own. For another thing, and probably more important, is that he'll go and he won't know what danger is out there."

"He won't go," John said.

Jim didn't think he sounded very confident.

"I applied to some colleges," Sam said to his brother one night as they got into bed.

"You did what?"

"I worked with my guidance counselor and applied."

"What are you thinking, Sammy? Dad isn't going to let you go to college."

"I don't need his permission."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I want to live my own life. I want to go to college and see what else is out there."

"What about family, Sammy? You can't just walk out on your obligation."

"Obligation to do what? Being a slave to the hunt? I want more than that, Dean."

"What about Mom? Besides, what we do is important."

"I know it is," Sam said ignoring the question about their mother. We help people and I get that, and I'm not saying I'll never do it again. I just want to be normal for a while."

Dean shook his head. "You can't go, Sammy. You know that."

Sam looked at his brother, then pulled the blankets up and flipped off the bedside light. They were quiet for several minutes.

"I was accepted to Stanford," Sam said. "In California."

"Stanford?" Dean didn't know a lot about universities, but he knew this one was prestigious.

"I'm even up for a full scholarship."

Dean's eyes filled with tears, but he didn't have to hide them in the dark.

"Sammy –" he whispered.

"Please don't be mad."

Dean couldn't believe how young his brother suddenly sounded.

"I'm not mad," Dean assured him. "I don't want you to go, but I know you have to."

"Will you help me with Dad?"

Dean didn't bother to wipe away the tears that fell. "I'll try."

"You understand, don't you Dean?"

The problem was, Dean _did_ understand. He loved his father and felt loyalty to him, and even though he liked the hunting lifestyle more than Sam did, it wasn't like he had never thought about trying out something else. But he'd spent his entire life putting Sam's needs first and it was more important for him to go than for Dean; someone had to stay with their father and help to avenge their mother's death.

"Yeah, Sammy."

Sam turned his head toward his brother even though the room wasn't enough light to really see him. He and Dean were closer than most brothers, but it always seemed easier to have conversations like this one in the dark.

oooOOOooo

"This is perfect!"

Gretchen had long since gotten used to seemingly being alone even when the demon was with her and she didn't even flinch when she heard its voice.

"You're happy that Sam is leaving home?"

"Extraordinarily! Once he's out from under his daddy's control, things will go much more smoothly. They will progress nicely, I believe."

"Do you really think his father will let him go?"

"He won't have a choice. My Sam has become quite independent. He'll go to school, one way or another."

"Did you put any of this into motion?"

"Sam is smart all on his own. He got himself into school."

"You've been pretty easy on John over the last couple of years. I was really expecting more to happen."

"Don't worry; I haven't forgotten about him. He's been making himself miserable so I didn't have to do it for him. He pushed Sam away with his attitude. He did my work for me."

"I still don't understand any of this."

"You don't need to. Yet."

Gretchen couldn't help but laugh. "Has it ever occurred to you how much you and John are alike?"

"We might be at that," the demon mused.

"So what are you plans for Sam once he's in school?"

"Wait and watch. He won't be as easy to turn as the other children because he's already aware of the supernatural. He'll be cautious because of his father's training; he won't be able to help himself. But over time, he'll become less diligent and once his ability starts to manifest, I can befriend him."

"You're very patient."

"Time means nothing to me. At some point, you will understand that."

oooOOOooo

Dean tried to talk to his father and soften his attitude toward Sam leaving, but John refused to hear him. He was almost always able to convince John to change his mind where Sam was concerned and not being able to this time frustrated him. He thought he understood; he thought it was because John was worried about Sam being away from the family where they wouldn't be able to protect him. He was right about the reason, but not the underlying cause; John had still not shared with him what the demon said in their first meeting and Dean had no idea that his brother had the potential to turn evil.

He came home from a rare night out to find his father and brother yelling at each other. The arguments weren't entirely unusual lately, but this time the fight was about school. Dean was able to surmise that Sam had told his father he'd been accepted to Stanford and that he hadn't taken the news very well. Dean put himself between them when the dispute threatened to become physical, but he wasn't able to stop John from saying what he did.

"If you leave, don't come back!"

Dean felt hatred for his father for the first time and his heart broke when he saw the look in his brother's eyes.

"Dad –"

John glared at him. "Stay out of this, Dean. It's between me and your brother."

"Dad, no –"

"Let it go, Dean," Sam spat. "Dad has made his position known."

Dean watched as his brother stormed to their bedroom and flinched when the door slammed.

"Dad, what are you thinking?" he demanded.

John went off in another direction, banging the door behind him. Dean felt like his world had just exploded when he heard the sound of his father's truck start. He expected to find Sam sulking on his bed when he walked into their bedroom a few minutes later, but instead, he was packing.

'Sam –" Dean was panicked.

"I'm going to school, Dean. I already talked to Jim and he's going to let me stay there for a week until I have to go to California."

"How are you going to get to Jim's?" Dean asked, feeling cold.

"I don't know."

"Sammy, please. Give me time to fix this."

Sam paused and looked at his brother. "Even you can't fix this."

"Please, let me try."

"You've been trying, man. Dad is being stubborn; he's pissed that he can't control me."

"He's just worried about you."

"Whatever," Sam went back to packing.

"You're leaving tonight?"

"I can't stay here."

"I'll take you to Jim's, then."

"You don't have to do that."

"I'm doing it. End of story."

Sam nodded, but refused to look at him. "Thanks."

Dean paced in the living room as Sam finished packing his meager belongings. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. He'd gotten used to the idea that Sam would go to school, but not this way. Not leaving with a moment's notice and not with John's decree that he could never come home. He dialed his father's number, frustrated and angry when only got voicemail.

"Dad," he began, barely able to control his anger. "I'm taking Sam to Jim's tonight so I'll be gone for a few days. You have to fix this. You have to tell him that he can come home. Please, Dad."

Hanging up as Sam walked in the room.

"Voicemail?" Sam guessed, his tone sarcastic.

"Stop it, Sammy."

Sam sighed. He recognized how hard this was for Dean, but he was still too angry and hurt by his father's words to care very much.

"Look, you don't have to drive me. I'll take a bus or hitchhike –"

"I said I'd take you."

"Dad's gonna be pissed at you, too."

"Yeah, well." Dean turned away.

"Dean –"

"Don't, okay? There's nothing you can say right now that is going to help the situation."

Sam nodded to himself and walked away.

John didn't change his mind, but he did return Dean's phone call the next day. Neither he nor Sam agreed to speak to the other one and Dean was heartsick. He was sitting on the back porch of Jim's house, a place that felt familiar and like home, when Jim joined him with two bottles of beer.

"It will all work out," Jim said. "I know it doesn't seem that way, but I know it will."

"How could Dad say that to Sammy?"

"He's pigheaded."

Dean looked at him, surprised and Jim only shrugged.

"Everything is out of control."

"It just seems that way. Don't worry about your brother; you'll still keep an eye on him."

Dean nodded, but he didn't see how that was going to happen.

"Where is he?"

"Inside."

"He okay?"

"He's as pigheaded as your father."

Dean couldn't help but smile as he took a sip of beer.

"What the hell are you thinking, John?" Jim exclaimed into the telephone later.

"Stay out of this, Jim. You know damn good and well that Sam should stay with the family; where he can be protected. Just because the demon has been quiet –"

"You need to talk to him. You need to tell him why you're so worried! John, he's going to school. You can't stop that. If you want to have any contact with him, if you want to be able to make sure he's all right, you're going to have to bend."

"Jim –"

"Fine. I know I can't convince you; I've never been able to change your mind about this. You know how I feel."

"When is Dean coming home?"

"I don't know, John. Maybe you should talk to him."

"Yeah, and I'll talk to you some other time."

Dean stayed with Sam until it was time for him to get on the bus to California. He offered to drive him the entire way, but Sam refused. He knew John was already fuming and Dean helping him any more than he already had would only make matters worse.

"Are you sure you have everything?" Dean asked, struggling to maintain control of his emotions.

"Yeah, don't worry."

"I'm always going to worry about you."

Sam looked away.

"If you need anything, you can call."

He nodded.

Dean reached for his brother's duffle bag. "Come on, you don't want to miss your bus."

Outside the station half an hour later, Sam looked at his brother. "I appreciate you staying at Jim's with me, but I want you to go now."

"Sammy –"

"Please, Dean. It's going to be too hard if you're in there with me."

He nodded. "Okay."

"You know this isn't about you, right? It's something I –"

"It's something you have to do. I get that. And since you're doing it, you'd better do your best. I know how smart you are and I expect you to kick some Stanford ass."

Sam nodded, smiling.

"You know I'd do anything for you, right?"

"I know that, Dean. Me too, okay?"

Dean nodded. He watched his brother walk into the bus station, knowing there was more he should have said. Maybe if he'd known that was the last time he'd talk to his brother for over two years, he would have handled things differently.

oooOOOooo

The demon possessed a young college student and befriended Sam during his first week at Stanford. It used Sam's insecurities against him, getting him to talk about his family and convincing him that he was better off without them. Something in Sam didn't believe that, but somehow it made things easier to think he was on his own.

Gretchen also made an appearance on the campus. Though she was only a spirit, the demon gave her the ability to possess human beings and she took over the body of one of Sam's teachers. Between her and the demon, they completely convinced Sam to stay away from his family; even his beloved brother. The demon and Gretchen stayed around, changing bodies every so often and befriending Sam each time.

For Dean's part, he gave Sam the space he thought his brother needed and before the two of them realized it, years were passing. Dean and John went to Stanford every chance they got and checked on Sam from the shadows. His success made them both proud, but neither one would talk about it.

For the time being, it seemed the demon had won. Sam was separate from his family and, though he didn't know it, dependant upon the demon and Gretchen. John got closer to finding a way to kill the demon completely, and was in Jericho, California when he came face to face with it again.

Going after the head of the family would eventually become the demon's greatest regret. With John gone, the brothers reunited and became closer than ever. They reestablished connections with lost friends and made contact with other hunters. The family was reunited after a time and three began to mend their family.

There would be more skirmishes in the war and each one would weaken the demon's hold on the Winchesters a little more. John would eventually be forced to tell Dean the secret, but only because he felt he had no choice but to make a deal with the demon for his oldest boy's life.

Dean never had any doubt they would win the war and, as a child, he thought he knew what that would look like. But his definition of winning began to change after John's death. He and Sam made it; they were victorious in the end. But it wasn't anything like what Dean pictured it would be.

_fin_


End file.
